Frisii

English

Noun

Frisii pl (plural only)

1. (historical) A tribe of Northern Germany who dwelt between the rivers Rhine and Ems.

Latin

Etymology

Possibly named for their curly hair, from Proto-Germanic *frisaz (“curly, frizzy”), which might possibly be from Proto-Indo-European *prews-, which Pokorny says means to burn as well as to freeze (see Sanskrit प्लोषति (ploṣati)). If valid, this could derive from the warping of objects under temperature extremes.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈfriː.si.iː/, [ˈfriːs̠iː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈfri.si.i/, [ˈfriːs̬iː]

Proper noun

Frīsiī m pl (genitive Frīsiōrum); second declension

1. A tribe of Northern Germany who dwelt between the rivers Rhine and Ems.

Declension

Second-declension noun, plural only.

Case	Plural
Nominative	Frīsiī
Genitive	Frīsiōrum
Dative	Frīsiīs
Accusative	Frīsiōs
Ablative	Frīsiīs
Vocative	Frīsiī

References

• “Frisii”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Frisii in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “Frisii”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly
• Markey, Thomas L. (1981): Frisians