a. Obs. exc. dial. Forms: 3 frouh, 4 frouȝ, 5 frogh, 5, 6, 9 Sc. freuch, (6 frewch, 8 freugh), 4, 7– frow, 8 frowe, 5, 7– frough. [Of obscure origin: the forms point back to OE. *fróh, or possibly *þróh; a word of the latter form is represented by þróȝum ‘rancidis,’ þrón ‘rancida’ (Napier, OE. Gll., VII. 193, 210); for the meaning cf. FROUGHY.]
1. Liable to break or give way, not to be depended on, frail, brittle. lit. and fig.
c. 1275. A Luue Ron, 44, in O. E. Misc., 94. Hit is fals and mereuh and frouh.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 2305. Þoghe þe prest be fals or frow.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., III. 671. Ek thike ysowe is frough [L. sectilis] And rare ysowe is heded grete & tough.
c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 525. Oft fair foullis ar fundin faynt, and als freuch.
1501. Douglas, Pal. Hon., I. vii. Quha suld haue firm esperance in this, Whilk is alace sa ffreuch and variant?
1568. Auld Kyndnes foryett, v. in Bannatyne Poems (1770), 185.
| Thairfoir this warld is verry frewch, | |
| And auld kyndes is quyt foryett. |
1664. Evelyn, Sylva (1679), 18. Timber … which grows in Gravel is subject to be Frow (as they term it) and brittle.
1674–91. Ray, N. C. Words, 28. Frough, loose, spungy. Frough wood, brittle.
a. 1722. Lisle, Observ. Husb. (1757), 37. The arms of an ash-tree are commonly put in, if they be not too frowe, and they must be saw’d.
1787. Grose, Prov. Gloss., Frough-wood, brittle wood.
1785. A Journal from London to Portsmouth, in Poems Buchan Dial., 5. The swingle-trees flew in flinders, as gin they had been as freugh as kail-castacks.
1825. Brockett, N. C. Words, Frough, loose, spungy, easily broken.
2. Crisp or ‘short’ to the taste.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., III. 662. To make hem frough, kitte of the bladys longe.
3. Sc. (See quot.)
1808–80. Jamieson, French … 2. dry; applied to corn, that has recovered from the effects of rain in the time of harvest.
