▪ I. frith, n.1 Obs. exc. Hist.
[Com. Teut.: OE. friðu, frioðu, freoðu str. masc. and fem., frið str. neut., = OFris. fretho, frede, ferd, OS. frithu masc. (MDu. vrēde, verde, Du. vrede masc.), OHG. fridu (MHG. vride, mod.G. friede), ON. frið-r (Sw., Da. fred), Goth. *friþu-s (in comb. Friþareiks = Frederick); f. OTeut. root *frî- to love: see friend.]
1. Peace; freedom from molestation, protection; safety, security.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. v. ii. §8 He ᵹenom friþ wiþ þæt folc. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. x. 34 Ne cuom ic frið sende ah suord. O.E. Chron. an. 1011 (Laud MS.), Þonne nam man grið & frið wið hi. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 13 Londe þet bið on griðe and on friðe under mire onwalde. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 681 Euerilc man he gaf lif and frið ðat to ðat likenesse soȝte grið. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 90 Þat bataile was hard, fo men has no frith. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 289 Ȝif þes poscessioneris toke freþis in here lond. 1874 Green Short Hist. i. §5. 45 Their leader was bound by a solemn peace or ‘frith’. |
† 2. a. A game-preserve, deer-park. b. water frith: a place where the fishing is preserved. Obs.
OE. had déor-frið in the abstract sense ‘protection of game’ (OE. Chron. an. 1086).
| c 1205 Lay. 1432 Ȝe huntieð i þes kinges friðe [c 1275 parc]. 1584 in Binnell Descr. Thames 63 Places inhibited to fish in, called Water Friths. |
3. Comb.: frith-guild, a guild established for the maintenance of peace; also attrib.; frith-silver, ? some feudal payment (see quots.); frithsoken O.E. and Hist., an asylum, a sanctuary (the later explanations seem to be baseless conjectures).
| a 1000 Law of æthelstan vi. c. 8 §9 (Schmid), Gif ure hlaford..us æniᵹne eacan ᵹeþæncean mæᵹe to urum *frið⁓gildum. 1861 Pearson Early & Mid. Ages Eng. 128 The frank-pledge or frith-guild system had been vigorously enforced under Edward. 1874 Green Short Hist. iv. §4. 190 The tendency to unite in such ‘Frith-gilds’ or Peace-clubs became general throughout Europe. |
| 1669 in E. Salt Hist. Standon (1888) 114 It was agreed..that John Hardinge shall sett a gate..he payinge yearly the *frith selver of the towne. 1863 N. & Q. Ser. iii. IV. 477 Frith-silver, up to the last fifteen or twenty years, a payment, chargeable on the poor rates of the parish [Alrewas, Lichfield], was annually made to Lord Somers, and bore the above name. |
| 1014 Laws of Ethelred viii. c. 1 (Schmid), Ðæt he *friðsocne..ᵹesece. c 1250 Gloss. Law Terms in Rel. Ant. I. 33 Frithsocne, Franchise de francplege. a 1342 Higden Polychr. (Rolls) II. 94 Frithsoken, id est, tutatio in jurisdictione; Gallice, seurte en defence. |
▪ II. frith, n.2
(frɪθ)
Forms: 1 (ᵹe)fyrhðe, fyr(h)ð, 4 friht, fryht, 5 freth, 9 Kent. fright (-wood, 6 fryth(e, 3– frith. Also firth n.1
[OE. (ᵹe)fyrhðe str. neut. (also fyrhð str. fem.):—OTeut. type *(ga)furhiþjo{supm} (see below). In ME. and in mod.E. the word seems to have been confused with others of similar sound: see the remarks under senses 1 and 4 below.
The OTeut. type *(ga)furhiþjo{supm} would appear to be a collective f. *furhâ fir; but there is no trace in Eng. of the etymological sense ‘fir-wood’, and as firs seem to have been not very abundant in early times in this country, the development of the general sense ‘wooded or waste land’ must have taken place on the continent. Cf., however, the mod.Ger. forchdistel, forchgras, forchheide (Grimm), which seem to contain a word that may be the source of med.L. frocus (OF. frou) waste land; if so fyṙhðe may be derived from it.
With regard to the form-history in Eng., the reduced form fyrðe is represented by firth n.1, and with metathesis by frith. The fuller form fyrhðe is represented, with metathesis, by ME. friht, mod.Kentish fright-wood.
The Welsh ffridd, ffrith, often given as the etymon, are adopted forms of the Eng. word.
To the scanty evidence for the OE. fyrhð(e must be added the place-name Pirbright in Surrey, which in documents of 13th and 14th c. appears as Pirifirith, Pirifright, Pirifrith, Purifright:—OE. *piriᵹ-fyrhðe pear-‘frith’: see Cal. Close Rolls 1326 p. 622, Manning & Bray Surrey I. 145, Surrey Fines (Surrey Archæol. Soc.) 22.]
1. With uncertain meaning, denoting a wood of some kind, or wooded country collectively, esp. in poet. phrases associated with fell, field.
In the later quots. the word occurs only as a poetical archaism of vague meaning. In the earlier quots. it may have had the more definite sense explained under 2. In senses 1, 2 there may be confusion with frith n.1 2 a.
| ? 826 Charter of Ecgberht in Birch Cart. Sax. I. 545 Þonne on þone haᵹan to witan fyrðe. 898 Charter of ælfred (Farleigh, Kent) ibid. II. 220 Ðonne is ðæt suð land ᵹemære ðæs cinges west andlang ðæs fyrhðes oð ðone bradan weᵹ. ? 956 Charter of Eadwig ibid. III. 120 Of þan stapole on accan ᵹefyrhðe. 973–4 (MS. 12th c.) Charter of Eadgar (Hants) ibid. III. 632 On ðet wot treow æt ðere baran fyrhðe. a 1300 Cursor M. 7697 In feild and tun, in frith and fell. a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. x. 36 In a fryht..y founde a wel feyr fenge to fere. c 1320 Kyng & Hermit 20 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 13 The grete herte for to hunte, In frythys and in felle. c 1350 Will. Palerne 2216 Þei trauailed al a niȝt, out of forest & friþes & alle faire wodes. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xii. 219 And of the floures in the fryth and of her feire hewes. 1562 T. Phaer æneid ix. Aa iij, A Pynetree frith I had [Lat. pinea silva mihi]. 1573–80 Golding To Rdr. in Baret's Alv. A v/1 In plant, or tree, By natures gift abroad in frith and feeld. 1612 Drayton Poly-olb. xi. 174 As over Holt and Heath, as thorough Frith [margin, high wood] and Fell. 1855 Bailey Mystic 83 Where now stretch Forest and upland frith. |
2. A piece of land grown sparsely with trees or with underwood only. Also, a space between woods; unused pasture land (see quots.). Now only dial.
| 1538 Leland Itin. (ed. 2, 1745) II. 3 From Maidenhedde Town a 2 Miles by narow wooddy Way to the Frithe, and so thorough the Frithe 3 Miles. Ibid. (margin), Fruticea Sylva, Angl. Frithe. 1628 Coke On Litt. 5 b, Frythe is a plain between woods. 1641 N. Riding Rec. IV. 216 The inhabitants of Sheriff Hutton presented for not repairing the high⁓way leading to le Frith. 1790 Mrs. Wheeler Westmld. Dial. (1840), Frith, unused pasture land. 1869 in Lonsdale Gloss. 1887 Kentish Gloss., Frith..a thin, scrubby wood, with little or no timber, and consisting mainly of inferior growths. 1892 Northumbld. Gloss., Frith, a clearing in a forest. |
3. Brushwood, underwood; sometimes forming a hedge, hedgewood.
| 1605 Rec. Chippenham 194 in Wilts Gloss. (1893) s.v., Itm to James Smalwood for an Acre and halfe of hedginge frith out of Heywood..Item for felling the same frith. 1631 Markham Weald of Kent ii. i. (1668) 2 It will grow to frith or wood, if it be not continually..laboured with the plough. 1668 Worlidge Dict. Rust., Frith, underwood, or the shroud of Trees. 1670 J. Smith England's Improv. Reviv'd 27 A dead Hedge..made of dead wood, as Bushes and Frith, which is all sorts of small wood that are not Thorns. Ibid. 31 Frith..is all small lops or shreadings of trees, as also all Under-woods. 1796 W. Marshall W. England I. 326 Frith, brush-wood. 1813 T. Davis Agric. Wilts 267 Frith, thorns or bush underwood. 1853 W. D. Cooper Sussex Gloss. (ed. 2), Frith, young underwood growing by the side of hedges. 1863 Wise New Forest 183 Frith, too, still means copse-wood. |
4. A hedge; esp. one made of wattled brushwood; also, a hurdle.
[Although this sense appears to be chiefly a development of sense 3, it may partly belong to other words of similar form but etymologically unconnected. (1) The sense ‘hedge’, and the related frith v.2 i, might without difficulty be regarded as special uses of frith n.1 and v.1; cf. MHG. vride (= frith n.1) used in the senses of ‘fence, fenced place’, mod.Ger. einfriedigen to fence in. (2) As in S.W. dialects both fr- and wr- are represented by vr-, it is possible that frith in the sense of ‘wattled work’ may be partly a literary rendering of a dialectal vrith, vreath connected with OE. wr{iacu}ðan (see writhe, wreathe).]
| [c 1430 Durh. MS. Cell. Roll, Item in fridys, vjd. Item in cirpis, vjd.] 1511–1647 MS. Acc. St. John's Hosp., Canterb. in Kent. Gloss. s.v., To enclose the vij acres wt. a quyk fryth before the Fest of the Purification. 1810 Voc. Dev. & Cornw. in Monthly Mag. XXIX. 466 Frith, writh, wattles or hurdles, placed in a gap. 1864 T. Q. Couch E. Cornwall Wds. in Jrnl. Roy. Inst. Cornw. Mar., Freath, or Vreath, a wattled gap in a hedge. 1884 Blackw. Mag. CXXXVI. 785/1, I was getting over a frith [foot-note, hurdle] by Nicholls's cow-house. 1887 Kent. Gloss., Frith, a hedge. |
† b. The same used as a fish-weir. Obs.
| 1602 Carew Cornwall 30 The Weare is a frith, reaching slope-wise through the Ose, from the land to low water marke, and hauing in it, a bunt or cod with an eye-hooke, where the fish entering, vpon their comming backe with the ebbe are stopped from issuing out againe..and left drie on the Ose. |
5. attrib. and Comb., as † frith-copse, † frith-man, frith-wood; † frith-pear, the name of a kind of pear; frith-work (dial.), wattling.
| 1583 Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 32 In this greene *frith⁓cops a new sight newly repressed Long feareful dangers. |
| a 1400–50 Alexander 5597 Fiue thousand olifants in fere þa *frithmenn him broȝt. |
| 1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (1729) 217 *Frith-Pears, Arundel-Pears (also to bake). |
| 1887 Kent. Gloss. s.v. Frith, Though some of the old woods bearing this name may now, by modern treatment, have been made much thicker and more valuable, they are also still called, as of old, *fright-woods, as the Fright Woods, near Bedgebury. |
| 1807 Vancouver Agric. Devon (1813) 134 The *frithe⁓work or wattling was made upon willow or sallow stakes. |
▪ III. frith, n.3
(frɪθ)
[Metathetic form of firth n.2; possibly suggested by the form frith n.2 = firth n.1, or by the once commonly supposed derivation from L. fretum.]
= firth2.
| 1600 Holland Livy 1375 The Tyber..brake out many times, and having found a frith or creeke, it beat upon the foot of the Aventine. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 919 The warie fiend Stood..Pondering his Voyage; for no narrow frith He had to cross. a 1698 Temple Hist. Eng. (1699) 37 The Neck of Land between the two Fryths about Sterling and Glasco. 1722 De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 243 Waiting to go up the frith with the flood. 1784 Cowper Task ii. 16 Lands intersected by a narrow frith Abhor each other. 1806 Gazetteer Scotl. Introd. 7 The Friths of Forth and Clyde. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. Concl. 115 The friths that branch and spread Their sleeping silver thro' the hills. |
▪ IV. † frith, v.1 Obs.
Also 3 fruðie, 4 south. vreþie, 5 frethe.
[OE. friðian, freoðian, f. frith n.1; cf. OFris. frethia, ferdia, OS. frithôn, OHG. (ga-)fridôn, ON. friða (Sw. freda, Da. frede). Cf. freith v.]
1. trans. To keep in peace, make peace with; to secure from disturbance, defend, help, preserve, protect.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. iv. i. §9 Angunnan þa herᵹean & hienan þa þe hie friþian sceoldon. O.E. Chron. an. 921 Þæt hie..eall þæt friþian woldon þæt se cyng friþian wolde. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 15 Eower lond ic wulle friþian. c 1205 Lay. 16804 Ȝif..þu me wult fruðien we þe wulleð to teon. a 1300 Cursor M. 24133 Þou frith me noght als freind. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8733 Þeyr buryels he þoughte for to honure Wyþ som þyng þat ay myght dure, & ffryþe þe stede þer þey lay. 1340 Ayenb. 7 Me ssel hine loky and ureþie zo holyliche. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 656 Fannde my fforestez be ffrythede..That nane werreye my wylde. |
2. To free, liberate. Cf. freith v.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3094 Bi-sek ȝet god, ðis one siðe, ðat he vs of ðis pine friðe. 1470 Harding Chron. clxix. v, Then was Vmfrey erle of Herford frethed clene, And enter⁓chaungid for Kyng Robertes wife. |
▪ V. frith, v.2 Obs. exc. dial.
(frɪθ)
Also 4 frethe, 9 dial. freath.
[f. frith n.2 (senses 3, 4); but perh. of mixed derivation: see note under frith n.2 4.]
1. trans. To fence in. Also fig.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 590 He is frithed in with floreines. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 3247 Froytez..ffaire frithed in frawnke appone tha free bowes. c 1400 Beryn 292 The sauge & the Isope, I-frethid & I-stakid. 1541 Old Ways (1892) 110 Walter was cuttyng off a hagge to frithe a corne. |
2. intr. a. To form a hedge of wattled brushwood; to wattle. b. To cut underwood. c. (See quot. 1893.)
| 1807 Vancouver Agric. Devon (1813) 132 Frithing, or wattling with willow-stakes, or any other hardy wood. 1847–78 Halliwell, Frith, to plash a hedge. Devon. 1866 Blackmore C. Nowell l, A labourer..had been frithing: that is to say, cutting underwood in one of the forest copses. 1893 Wiltsh. Gloss., Frith, to make a brushwood drain. |
Hence ˈfrithing, material for fencing; brushwood, underwood.
| 1429 Durh. MS. Cell. Roll, In ij Draghtrapis et iij frethyng', xixd. 1866 Blackmore C. Nowell xlv, The frithings have not been cut for ten years. |