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frisk

[ frisk ]
/ frɪsk /
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verb (used without object)

to dance, leap, skip, or gambol; frolic: The dogs and children frisked about on the lawn.

verb (used with object)

to search (a person) for concealed weapons, contraband goods, etc., by feeling the person's clothing: The police frisked both of the suspects.

noun

a leap, skip, or caper.
a frolic or gambol.
the act of frisking a person.

RELATED WORDS

caper, play, rollick, romp, dance, skip, frolic, bounce, jump, leap, prance, hop, lark, sport, trip, gambol, inspect, fan, check

Nearby words

  1. frisette,
  2. friseur,
  3. frisian,
  4. frisian carving,
  5. frisian islands,
  6. frisket,
  7. frisky,
  8. frisson,
  9. frist,
  10. frisé

Origin of frisk

1425–75; late Middle English, as adj. < Middle French frisque, perhaps a spelling variant (with mute s) of fri(c)que lively, smart < Germanic (compare Middle Dutch vrec, Old High German freh avaricious, Middle High German vrech brave, German frech insolent); or < Middle French (Flanders) frisque < Middle Dutch frisc fresh
Related formsfrisk·er, nounfrisk·ing·ly, adverbun·frisk·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for frisk

British Dictionary definitions for frisk

frisk

/ (frɪsk) /

verb

(intr) to leap, move about, or act in a playful manner; frolic
(tr) (esp of animals) to whisk or wave brisklythe dog frisked its tail
(tr)
  1. to search (someone) by feeling for concealed weapons, etc
  2. to rob by searching in this way

noun

a playful antic or movement; frolic
the act or an instance of frisking a person
Derived Formsfrisker, nounfriskingly, adverb

Word Origin for frisk

C16: from Old French frisque, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German frisc lively, fresh
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for frisk

frisk

v.

1510s, "to dance, frolic," from Middle English frisk "lively" (mid-15c.), from Middle French frisque "lively, brisk," from Old French frisque "fresh, new; merry, animated" (13c.), possibly from a Germanic source (cf. Middle Dutch vrisch "fresh," Old High German frisc "lively;" see fresh (adj.1)). Sense of "pat down in a search" first recorded 1781. Related: Frisked; frisking. As a noun from 1520s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper