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Origin and history of frown

frown(v.)

"contract the brows as an expression of displeasure," late 14c., from Old French frognier "to frown or scowl, snort, turn up one's nose" (preserved in Modern French refrogner), related to froigne "scowling look," probably from Gaulish *frogna "nostril" (compare Welsh ffroen "nose"), with a sense of "snort," or perhaps "haughty grimace." Figurative transitive sense "look with displeasure" is from 1570s. Related: Frowned; frowning.

frown(n.)

1580s, from frown (v.).

also from 1580s

Trends of frown

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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glower
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c. 1600, "descend, sink, grow less or lower" (intransitive), from lower (adj.), comparative of low (adj.). Transitive meaning "let down, cause to descend" attested from 1650s. Related: Lowered; lowering. In the transitive sense "to cause to descend" the older verb was low (Middle
scowl
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An early second line to it was, frown, and it frowns again. [1886, credited to E.L....
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spick-and-span
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1680s, "signal calling soldiers or sailors to quarters at night," earlier tap-to (1640s), from Dutch taptoe, from tap "faucet of a cask" (see tap (n.1)) + toe "shut, to" (from Proto-Germanic *to; see to (prep.)). "So called because police formerly visited taverns in the evening t
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c. 1300, "story, narration," from Old French prose (13c.) and directly from Latin prosa, short for prosa oratio "straightforward or direct speech" (without the ornaments of verse), from prosa, fem. of prosus, earlier prorsus "straightforward, direct," from Old Latin provorsus "(m
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Dictionary entries near frown