Frank talk

August 29th, 2009 at 07:00am Barry Wood

The Franks were a group of related Germanic peoples that set up the Frankish Empire, which in the ninth century extended over what is now France, Germany and Italy.

The language was called Frankish, which I mentioned when I wrote about “guerrilla.”

The name “Frank” has been traced back to the Late Latin “Francus,” which also designated someone as a “free man.”

The original meaning of the adjective “frank,” now archaic, was “free in giving; generous.”

Nowadays, to be frank is to be “straightforward; candid” or “free from reserve, disguise or guile,” as in showing frank disgust.

“Frank” is also the term applied to certain kinds of free postal privileges.

And it’s short for “frankfurter,” also known as a “wiener” or “hot dog.” Whatever you call it, it’s seldom free.

Entry Filed under: definitions, word origins