frein

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French frein, from Latin frēnum n. Cognate with Portuguese freio and Spanish freno.

Cf. the borrowed freiner.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fʁɛ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ̃

Noun

frein m (plural freins)

1. (chiefly obsolete) bit (equipment put in a horse's mouth)

   Synonym: mors

2. brake (of a vehicle, etc.)
3. (figuratively) restraint, reserve
4. (anatomy) frenulum

   Synonym: filet

   frein de la langue ― frenulum linguae

   frein du prépuce ― frenulum preputii penis

Derived terms

• freinage m
• freiner
• frein à disque m
• frein à main m
• plaquette de frein f
• ronger son frein

Related terms

• refréner

Descendants

• → Khmer: ហ្វ្រ័ង (frang)
• → Ottoman Turkish: فرن (fren), فره‌ن (fren)
  • Turkish: fren
• → Vietnamese: phanh

Further reading

• “frein”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old French

Noun

frein oblique singular, m (oblique plural freinz, nominative singular freinz, nominative plural frein)

1. bit (equipment put in a horse's mouth)

Descendants

• Middle French: frein m
  • French: frein m
    • → Khmer: ហ្វ្រ័ង (frang)
    • → Ottoman Turkish: فرن (fren), فره‌ن (fren)
      • Turkish: fren
    • → Vietnamese: phanh