Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
A certain space or period of time; respite.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Time allotted for repayment; a term (in which a debt is to be repaid); a delay; respite; suspension.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Credit; trust.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To grant respite; especially, to give a debtor credit or time for payment.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, dialectal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To defer; postpone.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, ambitransitive, dialectal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
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”).
