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Frequent

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means occurring often

Where does the word "frequent" come from? It comes from Latin frequens, passing through French before entering English (1530s).

frequens→frequent→frequent

Latin · ancient

possibly related to 'farcire', to stuff

French · 1500s

Latin 'frequens' meant crowded or packed full; the sense 'happening often' is only recorded from around 1600

English · 1530s

'frequent flyer' dates from the 1980s

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Frequent’s story begins in Latin: frequens meant “crowded.” Possibly related to 'farcire', to stuff. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in French as frequent. Latin 'frequens' meant crowded or packed full; the sense 'happening often' is only recorded from around 1600. It reached English by 1530s as frequent. 'frequent flyer' dates from the 1980s. Today, frequent means occurring often.