friend
UK: /frend/ | US: /frend/
n. a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
n. a supporter or ally of a cause, organization, or country
v. (archaic) to add someone to a list of contacts on a social media platform
friend = fri<love> + end<noun suffix>
- fri<love>: Derived from Old English frēond, meaning "lover, friend," from Proto-Germanic frijōndz ("lover, friend"), related to frēogan ("to love").
- end<noun suffix>: A nominal suffix in Old English, indicating the result or state of the root action (here, "one who loves").
Etymology Origin:
The word friend traces back to the Old English frēond, rooted in the Proto-Germanic concept of "loving" (frijōndz). Unlike modern Romance-language equivalents (e.g., French ami from Latin amicus), friend retains its Germanic emotional core, originally tying friendship to active love or affection. Over time, the term broadened to include allies and supporters, but its earliest sense emphasized personal bonds.
She has been my closest friend since childhood.
The organization found a friend in the local government.
(Archaic) "I friended him on the new social platform," she wrote in her diary.
A true friend stands by you in difficult times.
The politician claimed to be a friend of the working class.