'friend' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'frēond', where Proto-Germanic '*frijaz' meant 'beloved' or 'to love'.

'friend' changed from the Old English word 'frēond' (from Proto-Germanic *frijōndz derived from *frijaz) and eventually became the modern English word 'friend'.

Initially, it meant 'one who loves or is loved'; over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection'.