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• franklin
  franklin

  noun

  (in the 14th and 15th centuries) a freeholder who was not of noble birth.
• Franklin
  Franklin

  noun

  Aretha 1942–2018, U.S. singer.

franklin

¹ American  

[frangk-lin] / ˈfræŋk lɪn /

noun

English History.

• franklins
  plural

1. (in the 14th and 15th centuries) a freeholder who was not of noble birth.

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Franklin ² American  

[frangk-lin] / ˈfræŋk lɪn /

noun

1. Aretha 1942–2018, U.S. singer.

2. Benjamin, 1706–90, American statesman, diplomat, author, scientist, and inventor.

3. Sir John, 1786–1847, English Arctic explorer.

4. John Hope, 1915–2009, U.S. historian and educator.

5. a district in extreme N Canada, in the Northwest Territories, including the Boothia and Melville peninsulas, Baffin Island, and other Arctic islands. 549,253 sq. mi. (1,422,565 sq. km).

6. a town in S Massachusetts.

7. a city in SE Wisconsin.

8. a town in central Tennessee.

9. a town in central Indiana.

10. a town in SW Ohio.

11. a male given name: from a Germanic word meaning “freeholder.”

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Franklin ¹ British  

/ ˈfræŋklɪn /

noun

1. Aretha (əˈriːθə) born 1942, US soul, pop, and gospel singer; noted for her songs "Respect" (1967), "I Say a Little Prayer" (1968), and, with George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (1987)

2. Benjamin 1706–90, American statesman, scientist, and author. He helped draw up the Declaration of Independence (1776) and, as ambassador to France (1776–85), he negotiated an alliance with France and a peace settlement with Britain. As a scientist, he is noted particularly for his researches in electricity, esp his invention of the lightning conductor

3. Sir John . 1786–1847, English explorer of the Arctic: lieutenant-governor of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) (1836–43): died while on a voyage to discover the Northwest Passage

4. Rosalind . 1920–58, British x-ray crystallographer. She contributed to the discovery of the structure of DNA, before her premature death from cancer

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franklin ² British  

/ ˈfræŋklɪn /

noun

1. (in 14th- and 15th-century England) a substantial landholder of free but not noble birth

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Franklin ¹ Scientific  

/ frăngk′lĭn /

1. American public official, scientist, inventor, and writer who fully established the distinction between negative and positive electricity, proved that lightning and electricity are identical, and suggested that buildings could be protected by lightning conductors. He also invented bifocal glasses, established the direction of the prevailing storm track in North America and determined the existence of the Gulf Stream.

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Franklin ² Scientific  

1. British x-ray crystallographer whose diffraction images, made by directing x-rays at DNA, provided crucial information that led to the discovery of its structure as a double helix by Francis Crick and James D. Watson.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• franklins
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of franklin

1250–1300; Middle English fra ( u ) nkelin < Anglo-French fraunclein, equivalent to fraunc free, frank ¹ + -lein -ling ¹; formed on the model of Old French chamberlain chamberlain

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

franklin Franklin franklins

Who the heck cares that you live in oakland ho ho kus or franklin lakes!!!

From New York Times ● Mar. 19, 2010

With reporting by Eric Ferkenhoff Shirley Franklin / Atlanta Restorer of Faith Shirley franklin isn't standard mayor material.

From Time Magazine Archive

Restorer of Faith Shirley franklin isn't standard mayor material.

From Time Magazine Archive

Then the franklin who owned him asked me a long price for him, and I left Erling to settle that.

From A King's Comrade A Story of Old Hereford by Charles W. (Charles Watts) Whistler

Thorstein, the franklin, begged Gudrid to lie down and sleep, saying that he would watch over the body during the night.

From Eirik the Red's Saga by John Sephton

Strategists from Wells Fargo to Franklin Templeton were among those in recent weeks predicting the S&P 500 corporate earnings expansion would decelerate as higher interest rates, tariff pressures and elevated oil prices weigh on results.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

In contrast, Cardi B is a history buff fascinated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency and the lasting impact of Eleanor Roosevelt.

From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026

"AI is making its way into the 2026 midterms in a big way this year," said Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

Not all of us are like the eighth wonders of the world — Aretha Franklin or Chaka Khan or Whitney Houston.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

“In a way, it saved my life, too. My parents’ plans for me involved me getting married, but not to Franklin.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

The franklins in the neighborhood were all hostile to Sir Rudolph, whom they regarded as a cruel tyrant, and did their utmost in the way of supplies for those in the forest.

From The Boy Knight by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty

Let boors and franklins say it, I'll swear it.

From The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare

It was also enacted that the franklins should assist in erecting buildings on the royal estates, and that merchants and fishermen and all who sailed to Iceland should pay certain dues to the King.

From Canute the Great The Rise of Danish Imperialism during the Viking Age by Laurence Marcellus Larson

As it was, she had a real affection for the antiquated place, with its curiously-carved door-knocker, its oaken staircase, and broad chimneys with their heavy franklins.

From The Sea-Witch Or, the African Quadroon : a Story of the Slave Coast by Maturin Murray Ballou

The franklins were by their possessions fitted for becoming sheriffs, knights, etc.

From Franklin's Autobiography (Eclectic English Classics) by Benjamin Franklin

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