Friend Comes From a Verb Meaning to Love
A friend is someone you like and trust. The Old English word is a participle: a friend is one who is loving.
A friend is a person with whom one has a bond of affection. The word is grammatically a participle: Old English *freond* comes from *freogan*, to love, so a friend is literally one who is loving. *Fiend* is the exact opposite formed the same way, from a verb meaning to hate — the two words are structural twins.
- A person one likes. *An old friend.*
- A supporter. *A friend of the museum.*
- To add on social media. *Friend me.*
- Fiend — an enemy or devil. *A fiend in human form.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | friend | A close friend. |
| Plural | friends | Old friends. |
| Adjective | friendly | A friendly greeting. |
| Noun | friendship | A long friendship. |
| Opposite | fiend | A fiend. |
How it is used in a sentence
- A friend in need is a friend indeed.Proverb.
- Friend and fiend are structural opposites.Loving and hating participles.
- The Society of Friends are the Quakers.Their formal name.
Participle nouns in English
- friend — one who loves
- fiend — one who hates
- foe — from the same hating root
- parent — from Latin, one who brings forth
- student — from Latin, one who is studying
From Old English *freond*, the present participle of *freogan*, to love — related to *free*, which shared a root meaning beloved.
Are friend and free related?
Yes. Both descend from a root meaning beloved. Free originally described those belonging to the kin group rather than the enslaved.
Are friend and fiend related?
Not in root, but in structure. Both are participles: one from a verb meaning to love, the other from a verb meaning to hate.