Etymology Map
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Fro

3 stages from Old Norse to English.

Today it means away, back (as in 'to and fro')

Where does the word "fro" come from? It comes from Old Norse frá, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
frá
Old Norse · medieval
"from"
'from'
2
Stage 2 of 3
fro
Middle English · 1200s
"from"
used in the Norse-influenced north as the everyday word for 'from'
3
Stage 3 of 3
fro
English · 1500s
"away, back"
survives mainly in the phrase 'to and fro'
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Read the full story

Fro’s story begins in Old Norse: frá meant “from.” 'from'. By 1200s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as fro. Used in the Norse-influenced north as the everyday word for 'from'. It reached English by 1500s as fro. Survives mainly in the phrase 'to and fro'. Today, fro means away, back (as in 'to and fro').