a. Obs. exc. Sc. and north. Forms: 1 fræmde, frem(e)de, Northumb. fremþe, 2–6 fremde, 3 fræmde, Orm. fremmde, freomede, south. vreomede, 3–5 frem(m)ed(e, (4 fremned, frimmed), 4–5 fremyd, 5–9 Sc. frem(m)it, -yt, 4–7 frem(m)e, (7 fremb), 5–7 frem(e)(d, fremb’d(e, 6 frenned, 7, 9 Sc. frem, (9 fraim), 6, 8 Sc. fram(m)et, (8 fram’d, 9 fraumit), 9 Sc. frem’t, frem(m)’d. [Com. Teut: OE. fręmede, fręmde, fręmþe = OS. fremithi (Du. vreemd), OHG. framadi, fremidi strange, wonderful (MHG. vremede, vremde), Goth. framaþs foreign, estranged:—OTeut. *framoþjo-, framiþjo- f. *fram- : see FROM.]
1. Foreign: see FOREIGN 8.
a. 1000. Laws of Ine (Schmid), § 20.
| Gif feorcund mon, oððe fremde, butan weȝe | |
| ȝeond wudu ȝonȝe. |
c. 1386. Chaucer, Sqr.’s T., 421.
| A faukoun peregryn than semed sche, | |
| Of fremde lond. |
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., VII. 4. Ambassadouris thay directe to framit natiounis quha war thair special freinds.
17[?]. in Child, Ballads, II. lii. A. (1884), 450/2.
| I wish I had died on some frem isle, | |
| And never had come hame! |
1858. Mrs. Oliphant, Laird of Norlaw, I. xxiv. 299. ‘Dinna bring me a daughter of that land to vex me as the fremd woman vexed Rebecca.’
1864. T. Clarke, Westmld. Dial., in Kendal Merc., 30 Jan. It mappm mud lead me inta sum fremm’d cuntry a hiid mi ways back.
b. = FOREIGN 4.
1581. Mulcaster, Positions, xli. (1887), 242. I maye not at this time prosecute this position, as to fremd for this place.
2. Strange, unknown, unfamiliar. Also ellipt. or absol. (quasi-sb.). The fremd: strangers. Of an incident: Remarkable, surprising.
c. 950. Lindisf. Gosp., John x. 5. Forðon ne cuðon stefn ðara … fremðe.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 106. His deore deciples fluen alle vrom him, & bileueden him alle one, ase ureomede.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 28292 (Cott.).
| Priuetis o fremyd and frende | |
| I haue discouerd als vn-hened. |
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 1046, Dido. That nevere yit was so fremde a cas.
14[?]. in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866), 249.
| Euery man, boþe fremyd & kouth, | |
| Xul comyn with-outyn ly. |
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems (1893), 307.
| Gold and siluer lay him besyd, | |
| The fremmit thairof thair baggis can fill. |
1535. Durham Depos. (Surtees), 52. Let her take 2 fremde menne or 2 frendes, and I other 2.
1580. Sidney, Arcadia (1622), 87.
| As periur’d cowards in aduersitie | |
| With sight of feare from friends to fremb’d doe flie. |
1863. Mrs. Gaskell, Sylvia’s L., II. i. 17. ‘There’s a fremd man i’ t’ house. I heerd his voice!’
1871. W. Alexander, Johnny Gibb, xxxv. (1873), 199. Mary Howie needin’ to gae awa’ to the frem’t.
b. Wild, opposed to tame.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, III. 480 (529).
| Now al is wel, for al this world is blynd | |
| In this matere, bothe fremed and tame. |
3. Like a stranger, estranged, unfriendly. Of the bearing, voice, etc.: Strange, forced, unnatural. Const. in OE. with dat., with, till.
a. 1000. Sal. & Sat., 68.
| Fracoð he bið ðonne and fremede | |
| frean ælmihtigum. |
a. 1240. Ureisun, in Cott. Hom., 200. Woa is me þet ich am so freomede wið þe.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, II. 199 (248). Lat be to me your fremde maner speche.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 3343. I hafe bene frendely, freke, and fremmede tille other.
1508. Dunbar, The Goldyn Targe, 225. On syde scho lukit wyth ane fremyt fare.
1580. Sidney, Arcadia, III. Wks. 1724, II. 719.
| She war doth ever with his kinsfolk keep, | |
| And makes them fremb’d, who friends by nature are, | |
| Enying shallow toys with malice deep. |
1636. Rutherford, Lett., lxix. (1863), I. 178. He looked fremed and unco-like upon me when I came first here; but I believe Himself better than His looks.
a. 1651. Calderwood, Hist. Kirk (1843), II. 280. The Erle of Murrey was so frem to Mr. Knox, that nather by word nor by writt was there anie communicatioun betwixt them.
1789. Burns, 5 Carlins, xx.
| And monie a friend that kiss’d his caup, | |
| Is now a fremit wight. |
1859. J. Brown, Rab & F., 9. Rab called rapidly, and in a ‘fremyt’ voice.
Proverb.
1721. J. Kelly, Scot. Prov., 72. Better my Friend think me framet than fashious. The two signify the same Thing, viz. that he that sees his Friend too seldom, errs on the right side.
1823. Scott, Quentin D., vi. What says our old Scottish proverb?—‘Better kind fremit, than fremit kindred.’
b. Adverse, unpropitious, hostile.
1423. Jas. I., Kingis Q., xxiv.
| Vpon the wawis weltering to and fro, | |
| So infortunate was vs that fremyt day, | |
| That maugre, playnly, quhethir we wold or no. |
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. i. 56.
| Scho thame fordrivis, and causis oft ga will | |
| Frawart Latium, quhilk now is Italie, | |
| By fremmit weird full mony ȝeris tharbye. |
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot. (1858), I. 323. Sayand the Britis fremit war and fals.
4. Not related, of another family or house; opposed to sib or kin. Often ellipt. or absol.
a. 1200. Moral Ode, 34. Sone wule hine forȝeten þe fremede and þe sibbe.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 184. Nanmore þen þu woldest beaten a ureomede child þauh hit agulte.
c. 1340. Hampole, Prose Tr. (1866), 8. Many are þat neuer haue halde þe ordyre of lufe ynesche þaire frendys sibbe or ffremede.
c. 1460. How Goode Wif taught hir Daughter, 17, in Hazl., E. P. P., I. 181. Make thou none iangelynge withe fremed ne withe sibbe.
c. 1510. Barclay, The Mirrour of Good Manners (1570), B iij.
| It is not a thyng lawfull from minde to set aside | |
| Thy deare wife and children, without ayde & comfortless, | |
| And for thy fremde folke and seruauntes to prouide. |
1530. Palsgr., 627. I make of a frenned chylde my sonne by the lawe. Je adopte.
1550. Coverdale, Spir. Perle, xvi. 126. Those children that are nursed by frembd mens fyers.
1611. Cotgr., Affiliation, adoption, or the conferring on fremme children all aduantages belonging to naturall ones.
1862. Hislop, Prov. Scot. (1868), 221. Mak friends o’ fremit folk.
Hence Fremdly adv., strangely, like a stranger; unkindly. Fremdness, strangeness, coldness; also personified.
c. 1340. Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight, 714. Fer floten fro his frendeȝ fremedly he rydeȝ.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 1508. [They] haith no thonk bot fremmytness of the.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 1.
| Fra all the Scottis prescribit war ilkone | |
| In sindrie landis out of Albione … | |
| So fremmitlie in mony sindrie land. |
1560. Rolland, The Court of Venus, III. 6. The Iustice Clark, was callit Fremmitnes.
1569–70. Knox, Lett. to Cecil, 2 Jan., in Tytler, Hist. Scot. (1864), III. 318. Albeit I have been fremedly handled, yet was I never enemy to the quietness of England.
1807. J. Stagg, Poems, A New Year’s Epistle, 49.
| What if the hand of fate unkeynde | |
| Has us’d us fremtly, need we peyne, | |
| Tho’ you’ve lost your seeght an’ me meyne, | |
| We cannot mend it. |
