Etymology
1. O.E.
framian "to profit, be helpful, make progress," from
fram "vigorous, bold," originally "going forward;" influenced by related O.E.
fremman "help forward, promote," and by O.N.
fremja "to further, execute" (see from). Sense focused in M.E. from "make ready" to "prepare timber for building" (c.1374). Meaning of "compose, devise" is first attested 1547. The noun meaning "established order, plan" and that of "human body" are both first recorded 1599; originally the noun meant "the rack" (c.1375). Meaning "building" is from c.1425; that of "border or case for a picture or pane of glass" is from 1600. Of bicycles, from 1871; of motor cars, from 1900. The criminal slang sense of "blame an innocent person" (1920s) is probably from earlier sense of "plot in secret" (1900), perhaps ultimately from meaning "fabricate a story with evil intent," first attested 1514.
Framework first attested 1644.
Frame of reference is 1897, from mechanics; the fig. sense is from 1924.
2. From Middle English framen, fremen, fremmen (“to construct, build, strengthen, refresh, perform, execute, profit, avail”), from Old English framian, fremian, fremman (“to profit, avail, advance”), from Proto-West Germanic *frammjan, from Proto-Germanic *framjaną (“to further, promote, perform”), from Proto-Indo-European *promo- (“front, forward”).
3. Cognate with Low German framen (“to commit, effect”), Danish fremme (“to promote, further, perform”), Swedish främja (“to promote, encourage, foster”), Icelandic fremja (“to commit”). More at from. See: Old English '
framian', Proto-Germanic '
*framjaną', Low Saxon 'framen', Danish '
fremme', Swedish '
främja', Icelandic '
fremja'.
Verbs referencing "frame"
Dutch
framen, German, old spelling
framen.