frisk

Etymology

From Middle English frisk (“lively, frisky”), from Middle French frisque (“lively, jolly, blithe, fine, spruce, gay”), of Germanic origin, perhaps from Middle Dutch frisc (“fresh”) or Old High German frisc (“fresh”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *friskaz (“fresh”). Cognate with Icelandic frískur (“frisky, fresh”). More at fresh. Alternative etymology derives frisk from an alteration (due to Old French fresche (“fresh”)) of Old French fricque, frique (“smart, strong, playful, bright”), from Gothic *𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍃 (*friks, “greedy, hungry”), from Proto-Germanic *frekaz, *frakaz (“greedy, active”), from Proto-Indo-European *preg- (“greedy, fierce”). Cognate with Middle Dutch vrec (“greedy, avaricious”), German frech (“insolent”), Old English frec (“greedy, eager, bold, daring, dangerous”). More at freak.

adj

1. (archaic) Lively; brisk.
   Her hands must hide her mouth if she but smile; Fain would she seem all frisk and frolic still

noun

1. A little playful skip or leap; a brisk and lively movement.
2. The act of frisking, of searching for something by feeling someone's body.
   The customs officer gave me a frisk after I went through the metal detector.

verb

1. (intransitive) To frolic, gambol, skip, dance, leap.
2. (transitive) To search (someone) by feeling their body and clothing.
   The police frisked the suspiciously-acting individual and found a knife as well as a bag of marijuana.