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frank

Etymology and origin of the English word frank

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English has two words spelled frank: the adjective “candid”, from Old French franc “free”, and the noun “frankfurter”, a shortening.[1][2]

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /fræŋk/[3]

frank1 candid

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
before 1300
Borrowed from
Old French franc via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Frankish (*frank)

Etymology

The adjective is inherited from Middle English franc (“free, generous”),[1][4] borrowed from Old French franc (“free, sincere, genuine”),[2][1][5] from Medieval Latin francus (“free, exempt from service; a freeman, a Frank”),[2][5][4] from Late Latin Francus (“a Frank”),[4] from Frankish *Frank, the people's own name.[2][1] It is a generalization of the tribal name: in Frankish Gaul full freedom belonged only to the conquering Franks.[2][5][1] The name itself may come from the Germanic word for a javelin, Old English franca, their national weapon.[1][5][2] The verb is from the adjective.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Free, liberal, generous: probably before 1300 in Barnhart[1] and about 1300 in Etymonline,[2] and in the surname Franc in 1182.[1]

Semantic evolution

“Of superior quality” and “bounteous” are 15th-century senses.[5] “Outspoken, candid” is from 1548,[1] the 1540s in Etymonline.[2] The Century Dictionary noted that openness can go with timidity, while frankness implies some boldness.[2] From the sense “free of charge” came the verb, to mark a letter with a signature so that it travels free, and later to stamp it, from the 18th century;[5] Merriam-Webster dates the verb 1701.[4]

Timeline

  • 1182 – the surname Franc.[1]
  • before 1300 – free, generous.[1]
  • 1548 – candid, outspoken.[1]
  • 18th century – verb, to frank a letter.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Open and honest in speech; candid.
  2. Clearly evident; undisguised: frank hostility.

Verb

  1. To mark a letter so that it can be sent free of charge, or to show that postage has been paid.

Noun

  1. A mark or signature on mail showing that it may go free; the right to send mail free.

Word family

  • frankly
  • frankness
  • franking machine

frank2 frankfurter

Confidence
Established
Formation
Clipping
First attested
1916
Ultimate origin
English (frankfurter)

Etymology

The sausage is a shortening of frankfurter.[1][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A frankfurter: by 1916 in American English in Etymonline,[2] and 1936, in a letter of E. E. Cummings, in Barnhart.[1]

Semantic evolution

Franks and beans is attested by 1953.[2]

Timeline

  • 1916 – a frankfurter.[2]
  • 1953 – franks and beans.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (North American informal) A frankfurter or hot dog.
  • Frank
  • franchise
  • France
  • frankincense

Usage notes

Frank with a capital is a member of the Germanic people who conquered Gaul about 500 and gave their name to France; in the Levant from the 16th century it meant any Western European.[2][5][6] The OED also has a separate frank, an enclosure for fattening hogs, from about 1400.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Frank.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/frank. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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