fröken

See also: frøken

Old Swedish

Alternative forms

• frögdeken, ᚠᚱᚯᚴᚽᚿ

Etymology

From Middle Low German vröuken, vrouwicken, diminutive of vrûwe, vrouwe (“woman, lady”), from Old Saxon frūa.

Noun

fröken

1. (about or title of) an unmarried princess or furstinna (“Fürstin”)
   • 1502 April 14, Carl Gustaf Styffe, “Sten Sture till Svante Nilsson, om krigarustningar och krigs- händelser, dat. Thorshälla d. 14 April 1502.”, in Bidrag till Skandinaviens historia ur utländska arkiver‎^[1], volumes Fjerde delen. Sverige i Sten Sture den yngres tid 1470-1503, published 1875, page 312:

     […] och hade for visse och sanne tidendhe, ath kongen han foldhe sin dotther frögdeken in i lanter (!) Holsteten (!) och ther bliffwer han qwar, […]

     […] and had for certain and true news, that the king has followed his daughter the princess into the country (!) of Holstein (!) and there he remains, […]

Descendants

• Swedish: fröken

References

• fröken in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• fröken (frögdeken)/ in Knut Fredrik Söderwall, Ordbok öfver svenska medeltids-språket

Swedish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Swedish fröken, from Middle Low German vröuken, vrouwicken, diminutive of vrûwe, vrouwe (“woman, lady”), from Old Saxon frūa, from Proto-West Germanic *frauwjā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfrøːkɛn/

Noun

fröken c

1. (post-1860s, dated) Miss ((title for an) unmarried woman (of any class – see usage notes below))

   Synonym: (in English-speaking countries) miss

   Vill fröken ha kaffe?

   Would you like some coffee, Miss?

   Fröken Andersson kom och hälsade på

   Miss Andersson came to visit

   • 1964, Thore Skogman (lyrics and music), “Fröken Fräken”‎^[2]performed by Sven-Ingvars:

     Jag har sett miss Grekland. Jag har sett miss Kina. Nästan alla världens vackra misser har jag mött. Och jag tyckte alla, sköna var och fina. Men när jag kom hem till Värmland mötte jag en Värmlandsjänta, och hon är för mig det allra sötaste bland sött. Lilla söta fröken Fräken ifrån Fryken blev miss Värmland nu i år. Alla Värmlandspulsar slår när hon genom staden går. Lilla söta fröken Fräken ifrån Fryken, hon är blond som ängens råg. Vackrast utav alla flickorna jag såg.

     I have seen Miss Greece. I have seen Miss China. I have met almost every beautiful Miss in the world [almost all the world's beautiful Misses have I met]. And I thought all of them were beautiful and pretty. But when I came home to Värmland, I met a Värmland gal, and she is to me the very cutest among cute. Cute little Miss Freckle from Fryken became Miss Värmland [now] this year. All the Värmland pulses beat when she walks through the city. Cute little Miss Freckle from Fryken, she is blonde like the rye of the meadow. The most beautiful of all the girls I saw.

3. (somewhat dated) a female teacher or pedagogue, Miss (in kindergarten or elementary school – especially when referred to or addressed by the children)

   Synonyms: (elementary school) skolfröken, (kindergarten) dagisfröken, lärarinna, lärare, pedagog

   Fröken! Jag behöver hjälp.

   Teacher! I need help.

   Våran fröken är jättesnäll!

   Our teacher is super nice!

4. (somewhat dated) Miss (as a term of address for a woman in certain functions, for example a waitress)

   Ursäkta fröken, skulle vi kunna få notan, tack?

   Excuse me Miss, could we have the bill, please?

5. (by extension) a young girl, a miss

   Hon är en envis liten fröken

   She is a stubborn little miss

6. a Miss ((title for a) female participant in or winner of a (Swedish) beauty pageant or beauty contest)

   Synonym: (Sweden and international) miss

   Fröken Sverige

   Miss Sweden

7. (obsolete) a (title for an) unmarried princess
9. (pre-1860s, historical) Miss, Lady ((title for an) unmarried noble or upper-class woman)

   Coordinate term: mamsell (“Miss (low and middle class)”)

Usage notes

• Still fairly common in (sense 2) among children, perhaps varying from (pre)school to (pre)school. Occasionally extended to male teachers or pedagogues (by children).
• Definite singular colloquially also fröknen/fröknens.
• After the you-reform of the 1960s and '70s, addressing by first name is seen as more appropriate in Sweden, except under the most formal of circumstances, like when addressing royalty.
• Before the 1860s, fröken was mostly reserved for unmarried noble and upper-class women. After the 1860s, following the fröken reform, it came to be widely applied to unmarried women of all classes. However, mamsell continued to be used in certain pockets of society into the 20th century. Compare usage history of Norwegian Nynorsk and Danish frøken.

Declension

Declension of fröken

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	fröken	frökens
	definite	fröken	frökens
plural	indefinite	fröknar	fröknars
	definite	fröknarna	fröknarnas

Derived terms

• dagisfröken
• fröken Höger
• skolfröken

See also

• -ska
• fru
• herr
• magister

References

• fröken in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• fröken in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)