# frequent

Pronunciation: say "FREE-kwuhnt" /ˈfɹiː.kwənt/

## Adjective

1. Happening or done often; occurring many times and common.
   - Simple: Happening or done many times, again and again.
   - _The region experiences frequent earthquakes throughout the winter months._
   - _Frequent software updates kept the system secure during the launch._
2. Occurring at short intervals, with little time between one instance and the next.
   - Simple: Happening with only short gaps of time in between.
   - _Patients on the new drug require frequent blood tests._
   - _The ferry keeps a frequent schedule, departing every fifteen minutes._
4. Inclined to indulge habitually in some practice; persistent in a course of conduct.
   - Simple: Always doing a certain thing as a strong habit.
   - _He was a frequent gambler, persistent in his vice despite mounting debts._
   - _She remained a frequent drinker, given habitually to the bottle._

## Verb

Pronunciation: US say "free-KWENT" /fɹiˈkwɛnt/; UK say "fri-KWENT" /fɹɪˈkwɛnt/

3. To visit a place often or habitually.
   - Simple: To go to a place often or regularly.
   - _Artists frequent the riverside bars on summer evenings._
   - _Regulars who frequent the tavern know the owner by name._

## Adjective

5. Full or crowded; thronged with people or things. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Crowded with lots of people or things.
   - _The harbor was frequent with merchant ships from every coast._
   - _The streets were frequent with mourners on the day of the funeral._
6. Often or commonly reported; widely spoken of as common talk. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Talked about often by many people.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 4–6** — From Old French frequent, from Latin frequens ("crowded, crammed, repeated"), possibly from a Proto-Indo-European root *bʰrekʷ- meaning "to cram together."
**Meaning 3** — From Old French frequenter, from Latin frequentare ("to fill, crowd, visit often, do or use often"), from frequens ("frequent, crowded").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/frequent (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).