frein

Inherited from Old French frein, from Latin frēnum n. Cognate with Portuguese freio and Spanish freno.

Cf. the borrowed freiner.

• IPA^(key): /fʁɛ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ̃

frein m (plural freins)

1. (chiefly obsolete) bit (equipment put in a horse's mouth)

   Synonym: mors

2. brake (of a vehicle, etc.)
3. (figuratively) restraint, reserve
4. (anatomy) frenulum

   Synonym: filet

   frein de la langue ― frenulum linguae

   frein du prépuce ― frenulum preputii penis

• refréner

• → Khmer: ហ្វ្រ័ង (frang)
• → Ottoman Turkish: فرن (fren), فره‌ن (fren)
  • Turkish: fren
• → Vietnamese: phanh

• “frein”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

frein oblique singular, m (oblique plural freinz, nominative singular freinz, nominative plural frein)

1. bit (equipment put in a horse's mouth)

• Middle French: frein m
  • French: frein m (see there for further descendants)