An archaic or variant spelling of 'friend,' used in Middle English and Old English texts.
From Old English frēond, related to frēo (free), originally meaning 'one who loves' or 'one who is friendly.' The modern spelling 'friend' became standard by the late medieval period.
The original 'freend' showed its roots clearly—it comes from the same word as 'free,' suggesting that friends were people you chose freely, not people forced into relationship by duty or law.
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