I. ˈfresh adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English fresh, fersh, from Old English & Old French; Old English fersc fresh, not salt, unsalted; akin to Old Frisian fersk fresh, Middle Dutch versch, Old High German frisc fresh, and perhaps to Russian presnyĭ fresh, sweet, unleavened; Old French freis fresh (feminine fresche ), of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German frisc fresh
1.
a. : not containing or composed of salt water : not salt
sediment … is carried out to sea much farther than if the ocean were fresh — G.E. & Nettie MacGinitie
fresh water
b.
(1) : having or conveying no taint : pure , invigorating , lively , brisk
how sweet it was to breathe the fresh air — Bram Stoker
a fresh dewy morning
(2) of wind : strong — see fresh breeze , fresh gale
(3) chiefly Scotland : free from frost : open
our winters have been fresh of late
2.
a. : newly produced, gathered, or made : not altered by processing (as by canning, pickling in salt or vinegar, or refrigeration)
fresh vegetables
fresh fruit
b. : having its original qualities unimpaired: as
(1) : not exhausted or fatigued : full of or renewed in vigor or readiness for action : freshened, refreshed, active
next morning he was fresh and gay, all his weariness gone
had I been as fresh as when I arose — R.L.Stevenson
specifically of land : not depleted of its fertility : recently put into cultivation
New England had its troubles … when … the greater product of fresher lands came flooding eastward — Russell Lord
(2) : not stale, sour, decayed, or deteriorated in any way
meat kept fresh by refrigeration
fresh bread
(3) : not faded or tarnished : not dim : bright , alive
the beams and paint are as fresh as spring — Sacheverell Sitwell
the big trucks are painted a fresh white — J.K.Howard
his memory is still fresh in the hearts of his people
: not worn or rumpled : spruce
he always keeps his clothes fresh and tidy
made herself fresh and recombed her hair — Agnes S. Turnbull
(4) of rock : unaltered by surface agencies (as rain, wind, or frost)
(5) chiefly Scotland : not under the influence of drink : sober — used especially of someone who has just sobered up
3.
a.
(1) : experienced newly or anew : not known or experienced before : new
a considerable number of fresh Lincoln letters were turned up — Bernard Kalb
I got a fresh cold in my head — Tobias Smollett
: additional , another , different
we must make a fresh start
begin a fresh paragraph
(2) : not trite or hackneyed : original , striking , vivid , novel , vital
can anyone hope to say anything not new, but even fresh , on a topic so well worn? — H.S.Bennett
language and metaphor that are … fresh and … singular today — H.V.Gregory
his material is familiar; his handling of it, however, is notably fresh — M.A.Hamilton
b. : newly or recently made or received : recent
the news he brought was not very fresh
those scratches are all fresh — Erle Stanley Gardner
a fresh wound
on striking fresh lion spoor the trackers follow on it — James Stevenson-Hamilton
c. : having little or no experience : inexperienced , raw , green
coming fresh to the job — Helen Howe
d. : newly or just come or arrived
the engineer, fresh out of college — Richard Joseph
a new car fresh from the assembly line — F.L.Allen
weekly newspaper fresh off the press — Lewis Nordyke
e. of a cow or other female mammal
(1) : having the milk flow recently established
(2) : having recently calved
(3) : giving milk
f. of a bird : newly molted : having the feathers unworn and unmarred
4.
[probably by folk etymology from German frech, from Old High German freh untamed, greedy — more at freak ]
: disposed to take liberties : saucy , impudent , impertinent , rude
he was fresh with the nurses while on duty — Greer Williams
his teacher reprimanded him for being fresh — Priscilla Noddin
don't get fresh with mother
Synonyms: see new
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English freshen, from fresh, fersh, adjective
transitive verb
: to make fresh or spruce : freshen , refresh , renew — often used with up
back to the hotel to fresh himself up
intransitive verb
1. : to become fresh — often used with up
the sea was beginning to fresh up
2. : to make oneself fresh — often used with up
going to fresh up
III. adverb
Etymology: Middle English freshe, from fresh, fersh, adjective
: just recently : just now : freshly
stocking his cigar case from a bundle fresh in — John Galsworthy
we're fresh out of tomatoes
the circus was fresh out of funds — Henry LaCossitt
a fresh laid egg
a fresh caught fish
the sheepskin was fresh dried — Ernest Hemingway
IV. noun
( -es )
Etymology: fresh (I)
1.
a. : an increased flow or rush of water : freshet , flush
b. : a stream, spring, or pool of fresh water
c.
(1) : a stream of fresh water running into salt water : the mingling of fresh and salt waters
(2) : the part of a river or its shores above the flow of tidal seawater
2. chiefly Scotland : a period of open weather ending a frost : thaw
3. : the early or beginning part of a duration (as a day, a year, or a lifetime)