Word: friend Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *preyH- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *priHós Proto-Germanic *frijōną Proto-Germanic *frijōndz Proto-West Germanic *friund Old English frēond Middle English frend English friend From Middle English freend, frend, frende, freynde, friend, frind, frond, frund, vrend, vryend, from Old English frēond, frīond (“friend”, literally “loving [one], lover”), from Proto-West Germanic *friund, from Proto-Germanic *frijōndz (“friend, loved one”), from Proto-Indo-European *preyH- (“to please; to love”), roughly equivalent to free + -nd. See also Friday. Cognates Cognate with Scots freend (“friend”), Yola friend, vriene (“friend”), North Frisian frinj, frün (“friend”), Saterland Frisian Fjund, Früünd (“friend”), West Frisian freon, freondinne (“friend”), Cimbrian bròint, vròint (“friend”), Dutch vriend (“friend”), German Freund (“friend”), German Low German Fründ (“friend, relative”), Limburgish vröndj (“friend”), Luxembourgish Frënd (“friend”), Vilamovian fraeind, frajnd (“friend”), Yiddish פֿרײַנד (fraynd, “friend”), Danish frænde (“kinsman”), Faroese and Icelandic frændi (“kinsman”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk frende (“relative”), Swedish frände (“kinsman, relative”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌾𐍉𐌽𐌳𐍃 (frijōnds, “friend”); also Welsh rhydd (“free”), Latin proprius (“own, proper”), Belarusian пры́яцель (prýjacjelʹ, “friend”), Bulgarian прия́тел (prijátel, “male friend”), Czech přítel (“friend; supporter; lover”), Macedonian при́јател (príjatel, “friend, mate, pal”), Polish przyjaciel, przyjáciel (“friend; lover”), Russian прия́тель (prijátelʹ, “friend; buddy, mate, pal”), Serbo-Croatian при̏јатељ, prȉjatelj (“friend”), Slovak priateľ (“friend; supporter”), Slovene prijatelj (“friend; companion; chum”), Ukrainian при́ятель (prýjatelʹ, “friend; buddy, pal”), Avestan 𐬟𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 (friia, “good, pleasant”), Persian فری (fari, “beloved, dear; pleasing”), Sanskrit प्रिय (priya, “beloved; own, wonted”). More at free. Pronunciation: /fɹɛnd/, [fɹ̥ɛnd], [fɹ̥ɛnd̥], /frɪnd/ 1. A person, typically someone other than a family member, spouse or lover, whose company one enjoys and towards whom one feels affection. Example: "[…]if you have any wish to speak openly to me as a friend, or to ask my opinion of any thing that you may have in contemplation—as a friend, indeed, you may command me.—I will hear whatever you like. I will tell you exactly what I think." "As a friend!"—repeated Mr. Knightley.—"Emma, that I fear is a word—No, I have no wish—[…]” Example: The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one. 2. An associate who provides assistance; patron, mentor. Example: When I was a child of seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my little pocket with halfpence. Example: The vicious propensities—the want of principle which he was careful to guard from the knowledge of his best friend, could not escape the observation of a young man of nearly the same age with himself, and who had opportunities of seeing him in unguarded moments, which Mr. Darcy could not have. 3. A person with whom one is vaguely or indirectly acquainted. Example: The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you "stay up to date with what your friends are doing",[…]and so on. But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention. Example: a friend of a friend 4. A person who backs or supports something. Example: I’m not a friend of cheap wine. 5. An object or idea that can be used for good. Labels: informal Example: Fruit is your friend. 6. Used as a form of address when warning someone. Labels: colloquial, ironic Example: You’d better watch it, friend. 7. A function or class granted special access to the private and protected members of another class. Example: But don't take the following sections as an endorsement of friends. Top C++ programmers avoid using friends unless absolutely necessary. Example: In that case, the function needn't (and shouldn't) be a friend. 8. A spring-loaded camming device. Example: Since they were introduced in the 1970s, friends have revolutionized climbing, making protection possible in previously impossible places […] 9. A lover; a boyfriend or girlfriend. Labels: euphemistic Example: Nor to the motion of a schoolboy's tongue ; Nor never come in visard to my friend Example: Time has been, when a gentleman wanted a friend, I could supply him with choice in an hour; but the market is spoiled, and a body might as soon produce a hare or a partridge […] 10. A relative, a relation by blood or marriage. Labels: Scotland, obsolete Example: Friends agree best at a distance. Example: Make friends of framet folk. 11. Used to refer collectively to a group of associated individuals, especially those comprising a cast, company, or crew Labels: in-plural Example: Meanwhile on The View, Whoopi Goldberg and friends continue to spout their takes on the hot topics of the day. Example: Russia and friends continued to criticize the work of the JIM, focusing in particular on the methodology employed and the decision of the experts not to go to certain on-site visits for security reasons[…]