Old Frisian hasn’t been a living language for centuries, but it left behind a vocabulary that’s raw, expressive, and surprisingly beautiful. These words come from the Frisian legal texts, religious documents, and manuscripts written between the 13th and 16th centuries. Many of them are strikingly close to Old English — a reminder of the time when Frisians and Anglo-Saxons could still understand each other.
Words of Law and Justice
Most surviving Old Frisian texts are legal codes, so the language is rich in legal vocabulary. Fretho meant “peace” or “freedom” — the word behind the famous Frisian Freedom. Dōm meant “judgment” or “verdict,” identical to the Old English word that became modern English “doom.” Riucht meant “right” or “law,” and bote meant “remedy” or “compensation” — the same root that survives in English as “to boot” (meaning “in addition”).
Words of the Body
The Old Frisian legal texts are full of body-related terms because the law codes prescribed specific fines for injuring different body parts. Hregbreka meant “back-breaking” — literally describing the act of breaking someone’s spine. Ēare was “ear,” nosa was “nose,” and tōth was “tooth.” If you know English, you can almost read these without help. Blōd was “blood” and bēn was “bone” — virtually unchanged from what English speakers know today.
Everyday Words
Skrīva meant “to write” and lives on in modern Frisian as “skriuwe.” Tzercke meant “church” and became modern Frisian “tsjerke.” Skēne meant “beautiful” — a word that has since been replaced in modern Frisian by “kreas” or “moai.” Irthbivinge was “earthquake” — literally “earth-shaking.” And ondwardia meant “to answer,” related to modern Frisian “antwurdzje” and English “answer.”
Words of Conflict
Given their warrior history, it’s no surprise that Old Frisian had vivid vocabulary for violence and war. Anfara meant “to attack” or “to go to the front.” Ofsnīda meant “to cut off.” Forbarna meant “to burn down” — from the same root as English “burn.” These words appear frequently in the legal codes, which carefully specified the penalties for various acts of violence.
Why Old Frisian Matters
Old Frisian is important not just for Frisian heritage, but for understanding the history of English. The two languages were so close in the early medieval period that linguists group them together as “Anglo-Frisian.” Studying Old Frisian words often reveals things about Old English that have been forgotten, and vice versa. For anyone interested in where English came from, Old Frisian is an essential piece of the puzzle — and its words have a directness and weight that still resonates today.
