Etymograph

English

frounce

Frounce comes from Middle French froncer, from Frankish *hrunkiju ‘a wrinkle’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to turn, bend’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to turn, bend’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hrunkijō1reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*hrunkiju1‘a wrinkle’reconstructed
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400froncir1
  5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600froncer2
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500frouncen1‘to crease or wrinkle’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1503–1512frounce1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English frounce
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Middle English frouncen
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1503–1512, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood: “The hawke had no lyst To come to his…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, English frounce‘to turn, bend’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hrunkijōWiktionary, English frouncereconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*hrunkijuWiktionary, English frounce‘a wrinkle’reconstructed
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400froncirWiktionary, English frounce
  5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600froncerWiktionary, Middle English frouncen
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500frouncenWiktionary, English frounce‘to crease or wrinkle’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1503–1512frounceWiktionary, English frounce. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1503–1512, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood: “The hawke had no lyst To come to his…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to turn, bend’

short, share, card, across, screen, score, cross, shirt, circle, cancer, circuit, crucial, curve, scare, circus, circulation, skirt, carnival, curb, scar, scrutiny, shrine, crest, circa, cancellation, shear, scorpion, shred, carnage, coronary, corona, raffle, circulate, carcinoma, scorn, shrewd, incarceration, crux, shard, carnal, 117 more

through Proto-Germanic *hrunkijō

ruck

Today it means

noun A canker in the mouth of a hawk.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “frounce”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Middle English frouncen. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- / frounce

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