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Frist
Definitions
- 1 A certain space or period of time; respite. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 2 Time allotted for repayment; a term (in which a debt is to be repaid); a delay; respite; suspension. UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable
"His was a short frist (He had a short life)."
- 3 Credit; trust. UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable
"Sald tham to fryst to a man of the Hag, […] Sold them to frist to a man of The Hague, […]"
- 1 To grant respite; especially, to give a debtor credit or time for payment. UK, dialectal
- 2 To defer; postpone. UK, ambitransitive, dialectal
"Now, in the strength of Jesus, dispatch your business; that debt is not forgiven, but fristed: death hath not bidden you farewel, but hath only left you for a short season."
Etymology
From Middle English *frist, frest, first, furst, from Old English fierst (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”), from Proto-Germanic *fristiz, *frestą (“date, appointed time”), from Proto-Indo-European *pres-, *per- (“forward, forth, over, beyond”). Cognate with North Frisian ferst, frest (“period, time”), German Frist (“period, deadline, term”), Swedish frist (“deadline, respite, reprieve, time-limit”), Icelandic frestur (“period”). See also first.
From Middle English *fristen, frysten, fresten, firsten, from Old English *fyrstan (“to defer, delay, put off”), from fyrst, fierst, first (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”). See Etymology 1. Cognate with Low German versten, German fristen (“to eke out”), Danish friste (“to sustain, support, experience, tempt”), Icelandic fresta (“to delay”).
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