An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Friedhof
Friedhof, m., ‘churchyard’; the orig. sense is not exactly ‘peaceful enclosure,’ but rather ‘an enclosed place’; akin to MidHG. vride, ‘enclosure, a place hedged in’; MidHG. vrîthof, OHG. frîthof, ‘enclosed space around a church,’ must have given rise to Freithof. In their origin Friede and MidHG. vrît-hof are of course allied; yet vrît-hof must be connected chiefly with Goth. frei-djan, ‘to spare,’ OHG. frîten, ‘to cherish, love, protect’; akin also to einfriedigen.