[Sc. frae] (adv., conj.). Forms: α. (chiefly north. and Sc.) 2–7 fra, 5–6 fray, (6 fre, frea), 8–9 frae; β. 2– fro, (4–5 froo, 7 frow). [a. ON. frá, corresp. to OE. fram, FROM.]
A. prep. (Now only Sc. and dial.)
1. = FROM in all its senses.
α. c. 1200. Ormin, 211. Fra þiss daȝȝ þu shallt ben dumb. Ibid., 1265. Swa ferr fra Godess riche.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 479 (Gött.). Lucifer … fell For his pride fra heuen to hell.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), Pref. 1. To … delyuer vs fra deed withouten end.
1563–7. G. Buchanan, Reform. St. Andros, Wks. (1892), 9–10. Generaly disputations to be had euery Satterday fra ane efter none to four houris.
1558. Kennedy, Compend. Tractiue, in Wodr. Soc. Misc. (1844), 103. To be the only Juge to discerne the rycht understanding of the Scripture fra the wrang, to the rest of the membris.
1588. A. King, trans. Canisius’ Catech., 163. To abstein fra flesh.
1788. Burns, Naebody. I’ll borrow frae nae-body.
1803. Wordsw., Yarrow Unv., v. Fair hangs the apple frae the rock.
1816. Scott, Antiq., ix. Wad ye not have had me offer the honest man some slight refreshment after his walk frae the manse?
1826. J. Wilson, Noct. Ambr., Wks. 1855, I. 174. Wishy-washy water-colours, sae faint that you canna tell a tree frae a tether, or a dowg frae a soo, or a fish frae a fule, or a man frae a woman.
1877. N. W. Linc. Gloss., Fra, from.
β. c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 111. Þis longe weie þe he ferde fro heuene to helle.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 89. God ledde hem fro helle niȝt to paradises leue liȝt.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Compl. Mars, 256. Whan hit was fro his possession.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. I. 138. And þus semen oure religious to be exempte fro chnrite. Ibid. (1382), 2 Sam. xxiv. 15. Fro Dan vnto Bersabee.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Reeve’s T., 1. At Trumpington, nat fer fro Cantebrigge.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. I. 54. Cloþede hem in copis, to be knowe fro oþere.
1423. Jas. I., Kingis Q., lii. Fro this day forth.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., I. i. 7. Fro al resonyng.
1480. Caxton, Chron. Eng., xliv. 29. They went fro toune to toune.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 15. [He] gyueth fro hymselfe frely.
1581. Sidney, Astr. & Stella, ix.
| Where you may haue some defence | |
| Fro the stormes in my breast breeding, | |
| And showers from mine eyes proceeding. |
1611. Shaks., Cymb., V. v. 261.
| Imo. Why did you throw your wedded Lady fro you? | |
| Thinke that you are vpon a Rocke, and now | |
| Throw me againe. |
a. 1631. Donne, Poems (1650), 29. Can cal vow’d men fro cloysters, dead from tombs.
1884. Cheshire Gloss., Fro, from.
† b. In verse frequently placed after its sb. (esp. as a rime-wd.). Obs.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 16814 + 20. Or þai parted hom froo.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. II. 34. When heo was me fro, I loked and byhelde.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 4120. That I mote goo So fer the fresh floures froo.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst. (Surtees), 258. That no tratur stylle his cors you fray.
c. 1470. Henry the Minstrel, Wallace, VIII. 837. Bot othir dede, or ellis fled thaim fray.
1549–62. Sternhold & H., Ps. xxx. 13. The mourning weede thou tookest me fro.
1580. Sidney, Arcadia (1622), 87. Pas thought it hell, while he was Cosma fro.
1805. Scott, Last Minstr., III. xvi. Well could he hit a fallow-deer Five hundred feet him fro.
† c. Fro oneself: ‘beside oneself,’ out of one’s wits. Clean fro: quite contrary to. (Cf. FROM 8 b.)
1483. Vulgaria abs Terentio, 18 b. I am fro my selfe for angyre.
1483. Caxton, G. de la Tour, B iij. She bycam al frantyke and fro herself.
1525. Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. ccxix. [ccxv.] 676. They had spyces ynoughe, and bredde made of mylke, clene fro the nature of Fraunce. Ibid. (c. 1530), Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814), 111. He was so sore dyspleased, that he was nye therwyth fro him selfe.
2. Followed by other prepositions. (Cf. FROM 16.)
a. 1300. Cursor M., 14407. Fra amang þat cursed ledd. Ibid. (c. 1340), 25596 (Fairf.). Þou was tane fra of þe crosse.
1382. Wyclif, Josh. viii. 11. Fro aȝens of the citee [Vulg. ex adverso civitatis]. Ibid. (1382), Luke i. 78. He spryngynge vp fro an hiȝ hath visytid vs.
c. 1400. Gamelyn, 803.
| Tho come Gamelyn fro vnder þe wode Rys | |
| And broght with him ȝong men of prys. |
a. 1592. Marlowe & Nashe, Dido, III. (Rtldg.), 262/2.
| But I will tear thy eyes fro forth thy head, | |
| And feast the birds with their blood-shotten balls, | |
| If thou but lay thy fingers on my boy. |
1813. Hogg, Queen’s Wake, 70. Than up there rase ane wee wee man Franethe the moss-gray stane.
† 3. With an adverb in place of a sb.-object. (Cf. FROM 15.) Fro ðan ðat: from the time that. Froforth: ? = from this time forth. Obs.
c. 1200. Ormin, 17970. He þatt fra bibufenn comm.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 188. Fro ðan ðat he sinȝen bi-gan.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 932. Eue fra þan hir cald adam. Ibid., 10976. Þou sal be dumb fra nu. Ibid., 20078. For quam i com dun fra o-bouen.
c. 1340. Hampole, Wks. (Horstman), I. 187. Sothely fra thythene Inryses a gret lufe.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. III. 109. Cam late fro biȝunde.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., I. xii. 63. Be waar therfore frohens forthward. Ibid., II. ix. 197. Whanne he were departid frothens.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, lxxxi. 243. Ye may go fro hens forth where ye lyst.
1536. in Strype, Eccl. Mem. (1721), I. xxxv. 271. It is to trust … that party will also froforth … own to law all other abusions.
† 4. Of, concerning. Cf. ON. frá. rare–1.
c. 1300. Harrow. Hell, 28.
| That weren alle in more wo | |
| Then i con ou telle fro. |
B. adv. In a direction or position that is remote or apart; away. Now only in phr. to and fro (see TO); for which rarely fro (fra) and till. † To do fro: to remove. Also, contrary, against. Of or fro: for or against.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 8927. Þar was a stank bot littel fra Hight piscina probatica. Ibid., 11937. Þat water moght rin fra and till, Vte of þe flum al atte will.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., XII. 197. Whan they come vp the smallest fro they do, So that the saddist faster may ascende.
c. 1450. Holland, Howlat, 270. Sum said to and sum fra, Sum nay and sum ȝa.
1562. Child-Marriages (E.E.T.S.), 204. He sais he cannot say anythinge of his honesty, of nor fro.
1576. A. Fleming, A Panoplie of Epistles, Epit. A iij b. Passage to, fro, and through without danger.
† b. Comb., as fro-leader = ABDUCTOR 1. Obs.
1615. Crooke, Body of Man, 749. Called the Fro-leader or the muscle of Indignation or the Wayward muscle.
† C. conj. (Chiefly north.) Obs.
1. From the time that, from the moment when; as soon as, when. Also, fra that.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1325. & al þurȝ dome of Daniel, fro he deuised hade, Þat alle goudes com of god.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, I. 141.
| And fra he wyst quhat charge thai had, | |
| He buskyt hym, but mar abad. | |
| Ibid., 581. | |
| Fra at the Brwce to dede war brocht. |
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, Petrus, 536. And fra Marcellus þis cane se, He had þarof rycht mekil wondir.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xxiv. 109. And, fra I come þare, I knewe wele þat it was oþerwise.
c. 1450. Life of St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 39. Fra he was eght ȝers aid. Ibid., 3435. Fra þat god my saule will haue.
14[?]. Plumpton Corr. (1839), 28. I am siker he will thank you full hartely, fro I lett him witt.
15[?]. [Dunbar], Gif ȝe wald lufe, 14, Poems (1893), 312. And he that is of hairt vntrew, Fra he be kend, fair weill, adew.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VI. x. 1. Fra that the ancyant nun of Dan Phebus Thir wordis endit had.
2. In a logical sense: Since, seeing that.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 701. Syne efter him Alexander his bruther … Efter his deid succeidit in his steid, Fra this Edgair withoutin child wes deid.
1585. Jas. I., Ess. Poesie (Arb.), 43. Then, fra I saw (as I already told) How men complaind.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., 102. Fra the follower haue founden borgh iawfullie.
