frequent

See also: fréquent and freqüent

English

Etymology 1

From Old French frequent, from Latin frequens (“crowded, crammed, frequent, repeated, etc.”), possibly from a Proto-Indo-European *bʰrekʷ- (“to cram together”).

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹiː.kwənt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

frequent (comparative more frequent or frequenter, superlative most frequent or frequentest)

1. Done or occurring often; common.

   Synonyms: regular, recurring, usual; see also Thesaurus:common

   Antonyms: rare, uncommon; see also Thesaurus:rare

   I take frequent breaks so I don't get too tired.

   There are frequent trains to the beach available.

   I am a frequent visitor to that city.

   • 1999, Nicholas Walker, “The Reorientation of Critical Theory: Habermas”, in Simon Glemdinning, editor, The Edinburgh Encyclopedia of Continental Philosophy‎^[1], Routledge, →ISBN, page 489:

     During the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, this commitment brought him into frequent critical confrontation with entrenched forms of conservative thinking [...]

2. Occurring at short intervals.

   Synonyms: continual, steady

   • 1816, Lord Byron, “Canto III”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Canto the Third, London: […] [F]or John Murray, […], →OCLC, stanza LV.2, page 31:

     Above, the frequent feudal towers / Through green leaves lift their walls of grey, [...]

3. Addicted to any course of conduct; inclined to indulge in any practice; habitual; persistent.
   • 1709, [Jonathan Swift], A Project for the Advancement of Religion, and the Reformation of Manners. […], London: […] Benj[amin] Tooke, […], →OCLC, page 59:

     [E]very Man thinks he has laid in a ſufficient Stock of Merit, and my pretend to any Employment, provided he has been loud and frequent in declaring himſelf hearty for the Government.

4. (obsolete) Full; crowded; thronged.
   • 1603 (first performance), Ben[jamin] Jonson, Seianus His Fall, London: […] G[eorge] Elld, for Thomas Thorpe, published 1605, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     'Tis Caesar's will to have a frequent senate.

5. (obsolete) Often or commonly reported.
   • 1626, Philip Massinger, The Roman Actor:

     'Tis frequent in the city he hath subdued / The Catti and the Daci.

Derived terms

• equifrequent
• frequentative
• frequent flier, frequent flyer
• frequentism
• frequentist
• frequentistic
• frequentness
• hyperfrequent
• monofrequent
• nonfrequent
• normofrequent
• overfrequent
• semifrequent
• unfrequent

Related terms

• frequency
• frequently
• infrequent
• frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Translations

done or occurring often

• Arabic: مُتَكَرِّر (mutakarrir)
• Asturian: frecuente (ast)
• Belarusian: ча́сты (částy)
• Bulgarian: чест (bg) (čest)
• Catalan: freqüent (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 頻繁 / 频繁 (zh) (pínfán)

• Czech: častý (cs)
• Danish: hyppig (da), tit, ofte (da)
• Dutch: veelvuldig (nl), frequent (nl)
• Esperanto: ofta (eo)
• Finnish: yleinen (fi), toistuva (fi), jatkuva (fi), taaja (fi), usein tapahtuva
• French: fréquent (fr)
• Georgian: ხშირი (xširi)
• German: häufig (de)
• Greek: συχνός (el) (sychnós)

  Ancient Greek: συχνός (sukhnós), πυκνός (puknós)

• Hindi: बार बार (bār bār), बारंबार (hi) (bārambār)
• Hungarian: gyakori (hu)
• Icelandic: tíður
• Irish: minic
• Italian: frequente (it), assiduo (it)
• Japanese: 頻繁な (ja) (ひんぱんな, hinpan na)
• Korean: 빈번한 (ko) (binbeonhan)
• Latin: frequēns, saepis, creber
• Latvian: biežs
• Lithuanian: dažnas
• Malay: kerap (ms)
• Manx: mennick
• Māori: pūputu, putuputu, auau
• Mauritian Creole: frekan
• Norwegian: hyppig (no)
• Old Norse: iðuligr, iðugligr
• Polish: częsty (pl)
• Portuguese: freqüente (pt), frequente (pt)
• Romanian: frecvent (ro)
• Russian: ча́стый (ru) (částyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: minig
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: чест

  Latin: čest (sh)

• Slovak: častý
• Spanish: frecuente (es)
• Turkish: sıkça (tr)
• Ukrainian: ча́стий (částyj)
• Vietnamese: thường xuyên (vi)
• Welsh: aelaw, aml (cy)

Etymology 2

From Old French frequenter, from Latin frequentare (“to fill, crowd, visit often, do or use often, etc.”), from frequens (“frequent, crowded”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /fɹɪˈkwɛnt/
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Verb

frequent (third-person singular simple present frequents, present participle frequenting, simple past and past participle frequented)

1. (transitive) To visit often.

   I used to frequent that restaurant.

Derived terms

• frequentable
• frequentage
• frequentation
• frequenter
• unfrequent
• unfrequented

Translations

to visit often

• Arabic: اِرْتَادَ (irtāda)
• Bulgarian: посещавам често (poseštavam često)
• Catalan: freqüentar (ca)
• Chichewa: kubwérabwera
• Czech: často chodit, pravidelně navštěvovat
• Danish: besøge (da), frekventere (da)
• Dutch: frequenteren (nl)
• Esperanto: vizitadi
• Finnish: käydä usein
• French: fréquenter (fr), hanter (fr)
• Galician: frecuentar (gl), amiudar
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: φοιτάω (phoitáō)

• Hungarian: látogat (hu), jár (hu), eljár (hu)
• Icelandic: stunda (is), sækja, venja komur sínar á, venja komur sínar í
• Irish: minicigh
• Italian: frequentare (it)
• Māori: hōngongoi, hōngoingoi, muremure
• Occitan: frequentar (oc)
• Polish: uczęszczać (pl), bywać (pl) impf
• Portuguese: frequentar (pt)
• Russian: ча́сто посеща́ть (částo poseščátʹ), захаживать (ru) (zaxaživatʹ), части́ть (ru) impf (častítʹ)
• Spanish: frecuentar (es), prodigarse (es) (Spain)

Further reading

• “frequent”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “frequent”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French frequent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /frɛˈkʋɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: fre‧quent
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Adjective

frequent (comparative frequenter, superlative frequentst)

1. frequent

   Synonyms: veelvuldig, vaak

Declension

Declension of frequent
uninflected	frequent
inflected	frequente
comparative	frequenter
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		frequent	frequenter	het frequentst het frequentste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	frequente	frequentere	frequentste
	n. sing.	frequent	frequenter	frequentste
	plural	frequente	frequentere	frequentste
definite		frequente	frequentere	frequentste
partitive		frequents	frequenters	—

Derived terms

• hoogfrequent

Related terms

• frequenteren
• frequentie

Descendants

• → Indonesian: frekuen

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin frequens.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [fʁeˈkvɛnt]
• Hyphenation: fre‧quent

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Adjective

frequent (strong nominative masculine singular frequenter, comparative frequenter, superlative am frequentesten)

1. (formal) frequent

   Synonyms: häufig, zahlreich

2. (medicine, dated, heart rate) accelerated

Declension

Positive forms of frequent number & gender singular plural masculine feminine neuter predicative er ist frequent sie ist frequent es ist frequent sie sind frequent strong declension (without article) nominative frequenter frequente frequentes frequente genitive frequenten frequenter frequenten frequenter dative frequentem frequenter frequentem frequenten accusative frequenten frequente frequentes frequente weak declension (with definite article) nominative der frequente die frequente das frequente die frequenten genitive des frequenten der frequenten des frequenten der frequenten dative dem frequenten der frequenten dem frequenten den frequenten accusative den frequenten die frequente das frequente die frequenten mixed declension (with indefinite article) nominative ein frequenter eine frequente ein frequentes (keine) frequenten genitive eines frequenten einer frequenten eines frequenten (keiner) frequenten dative einem frequenten einer frequenten einem frequenten (keinen) frequenten accusative einen frequenten eine frequente ein frequentes (keine) frequenten Comparative forms of frequent number & gender singular plural masculine feminine neuter predicative er ist frequenter sie ist frequenter es ist frequenter sie sind frequenter strong declension (without article) nominative frequenterer frequentere frequenteres frequentere genitive frequenteren frequenterer frequenteren frequenterer dative frequenterem frequenterer frequenterem frequenteren accusative frequenteren frequentere frequenteres frequentere weak declension (with definite article) nominative der frequentere die frequentere das frequentere die frequenteren genitive des frequenteren der frequenteren des frequenteren der frequenteren dative dem frequenteren der frequenteren dem frequenteren den frequenteren accusative den frequenteren die frequentere das frequentere die frequenteren mixed declension (with indefinite article) nominative ein frequenterer eine frequentere ein frequenteres (keine) frequenteren genitive eines frequenteren einer frequenteren eines frequenteren (keiner) frequenteren dative einem frequenteren einer frequenteren einem frequenteren (keinen) frequenteren accusative einen frequenteren eine frequentere ein frequenteres (keine) frequenteren Superlative forms of frequent number & gender singular plural masculine feminine neuter predicative er ist am frequentesten sie ist am frequentesten es ist am frequentesten sie sind am frequentesten strong declension (without article) nominative frequentester frequenteste frequentestes frequenteste genitive frequentesten frequentester frequentesten frequentester dative frequentestem frequentester frequentestem frequentesten accusative frequentesten frequenteste frequentestes frequenteste weak declension (with definite article) nominative der frequenteste die frequenteste das frequenteste die frequentesten genitive des frequentesten der frequentesten des frequentesten der frequentesten dative dem frequentesten der frequentesten dem frequentesten den frequentesten accusative den frequentesten die frequenteste das frequenteste die frequentesten mixed declension (with indefinite article) nominative ein frequentester eine frequenteste ein frequentestes (keine) frequentesten genitive eines frequentesten einer frequentesten eines frequentesten (keiner) frequentesten dative einem frequentesten einer frequentesten einem frequentesten (keinen) frequentesten accusative einen frequentesten eine frequenteste ein frequentestes (keine) frequentesten

Further reading

• “frequent” in Duden online
• “frequent”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[2] (in German)

Old French

Adjective

frequent m (feminine frequent or frequente)

1. frequent; often

Declension

	Case	masculine	feminine	neuter
singular	subject	frequenz	frequente	frequent
	oblique	frequent			frequente	frequent
plural	subject	frequent	frequentes		frequent
	oblique	frequenz			frequentes	frequent

Descendants

• → English: frequent
• French: fréquent