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frolic

Etymology and origin of the English word frolic

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Formation
Borrowing
Borrowed from
Dutch vrolijk

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈfɹɒlɪk/ (UK); /ˈfɹɑlɪk/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Dutch vrolijk (“merry, joyful”),[2][3][4] from Middle Dutch vrolijc (“happy”),[2][5][6][3] from vro “glad, happy”[2][5][6][3][4] and -lijc “-like”.[2][5][6] Middle Dutch vro is related to German froh “glad”[5][3][4] and Old Norse frár “swift”.[5][6] Etymonline connects it with the root of frog, giving an underlying sense like “jumping for joy”.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

As an adjective, joyous, merry, full of mirth (1538).[7][5][3][6]

Semantic evolution

The verb, to make merry, followed (1583 in Barnhart, 1593 in the OED and Merriam-Webster),[5][7][3] and later took the sense of playing pranks and romping about.[7][2][4] The noun is recorded from 1616,[5][3] meaning an outburst of fun or a prank, and also a merrymaking or party.[7][3][4]

Timeline

  • 1538 – adjective, merry.[7][5][3]
  • 1583 – verb (Barnhart; 1593 in the OED and Merriam-Webster).[5][7][3]
  • 1616 – noun, mirth or a prank.[5][3]
  • c. 1645 – a merrymaking, a party.[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To play in a lively, carefree way; to romp.
  2. To make merry; to engage in fun, joking or teasing.

Noun

  1. Fun or merriment; gaiety.
  2. A playful or mischievous act; a prank.
  3. A merry occasion or party.

Adjective

  1. Merry; full of fun.

Word family

  • frolicker
  • frolicsome
  • rollick
  • frog

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

  • mannequin · also from Middle Dutch
  • lottery · also from Middle Dutch
  • school · also from Middle Dutch
  • bully · also from Middle Dutch
  • dapper · also from Middle Dutch
  • easel · also from Middle Dutch
  • bumpkin · also from Middle Dutch
  • buoy · also from Middle Dutch
Cite this entry

“Frolic.” Etymologically, 14 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/frolic. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·