frolic
pronunciation
How to pronounce frolic in British English:
UK [ˈfrɒlɪk]
How to pronounce frolic in American English:
US [ˈfrɑlɪk]
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- Noun:
- gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement
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- Verb:
- play boisterously
Word Origin
- frolic
- frolic: [16] Like its source, Dutch vrolijk, and the related German fröhlich, frolic was originally an adjective meaning ‘happy’. This usage had died out by the end of the 18th century, but in the meantime the adjective had been converted into a verb, and thence into a noun, both of which are still with us. (Dutch vrolijk was formed from the adjective vro ‘happy’, which probably goes back ultimately to a prehistoric Indo-European source which meant primarily ‘spring upwards, move swiftly’.)
- frolic (v.)
- "make merry, have fun, romp playfully," 1580s, from frolic (adj.) "joyous, merry, full of mirth" (1530s), from Middle Dutch vrolyc "happy," a compound of vro- "merry, glad" + lyc "like" (see like (adj.)). The first part of the compound is cognate with Old Norse frar "swift," Middle English frow "hasty," from PIE *preu- "to hop" (see frog (n.1)), giving the whole an etymological sense akin to "jumping for joy." Similar formation in German fröhlich "happy." Related: Frolicked; frolicking. As a noun from 1610s.
Example
- 1. Eg. the children are having a frolic on the lawn .
- 2. They had a frolic in the country .
- 3. And only one in five children live within walking distance ( a half-mile ) of a park or playground , according to a 2010 report by the federal centers for disease control , making them even less inclined to frolic outdoors .
- 4. If one does not want to frolic in the reefs of the salty waters , private pools hover over the ocean next to the relaxing and open suites .
- 5. Boys as young as four or five tell more jokes , frolic and clown about while girls tend to be the ones doing the laughing .