An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/fragen

by Friedrich Kluge

fragen, verb, ‘to ask, inquire, interrogate,’ from the equivalent Middle High German vrâgen, Old High German frâgên (with the rare variant frâhên); corresponding to Old Saxon frâgôn, Dutch vragen; confined to the Teutons of Middle Europe (Gothic *frêhan, *frêgan), with the meaning ‘to ask,’ from a Teutonic root frē̆h, from which the Gothic preterite frah (frêhum) and the participle fraíhans are formed. The corresponding present has a derivative n (compare scheinen), Gothic fraíhnan, Anglo-Saxon frignan, frînan, beside which appears a form with the present in io-, Anglo-Saxon fricgan (Gothic *frigjan). For another verbal derivative of the same root see under forschen, which, like Old High German jërgôn, ‘to beg,’ has its r transposed. The following Teutonic words also belong to the root frē̆h, ÀS. frëht, ‘oracle,’ frihtrian, ‘to predict,’ fricca, ‘herald.’ The Teutonic root frē̆h is derived, according to the law of the substitution of consonants, from an Aryan root prē̆k, pṛk, which may have originally combined the meanings ‘to ask, beg’ (rogare, interrogare). Compare the primary allied forms — Sanscrit root pṛch (for pṛç-sk), ‘to ask, long for; to desire, beg for something,’ praçná, ‘inquiry,’ Zend root pares, peres, ‘to ask, demand,’ Latin prĕc- (nominative plural preces, ‘entreaties’), prscâri, ‘to beg,’ procax, ‘insolent,’ prŏcus, ‘wooer, suitor,’ Old Slovenian prositi, ‘to demand, beg.’