Forms: 6 firingi, 7 fringe, frangee, 8 fe-, flringy, 9 faringee, ferenghi, feringhee. [An oriental adoption of FRANK, with Arab. ethnic suffix -i; in Arab. faranjī, in Pers. farangī.]
Formerly, the ordinary Indian term for a European; now applied chiefly to the Indian-born Portuguese, and contemptuously to other Europeans.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 171. A Christian. Frangee.
1638. W. Bruton, in Hakluyt’s Voy. (1807), V. 52. The Portugals which they call by the name of Fringes.
1755. Holwell, in J. Long, Select. Rec. Govt. (1869), 59 (Yule). By Feringy I mean all the black mustee Portugese Christians residing in the settlement.
1774. Bogle, in Markham, Tibet (1876), 176. Everybody was afraid of the Fringies.
c. 1813. Mrs. Sherwood, Ayah & Lady, Gloss., Feringhees, Franks. A name given generally to Europeans in India, and to the descendants of the Portuguese, who first settled in India: these are called Black Feringhees, being remarkably dark.
1834. Caunter, Oriental Annual, v. 60. These slaves of the most besotted superstitions upon earth did not appear to be at all pleased at the idea of seeing the place profaned by the unhallowed feet of faringees or Christians, whom they hold in absolute abhorrence.
1866. A. Lyall, Old Pindaree, iii., in Verses written in India (1889), 2.
| There goes my lord the Feringhee, who talks so civil and bland, | |
| Till he raves like a soul in Jahanum if I do not quite understand. |
