| Frankish |
| Definition: A West Germanic language that was spoken by the inhabitants of northern Gaul between the fifth and sixth centuries CE. Note: In the way that English is a German-based language with a strong Latin influence, French is a Latin-based language with a strong Germanic (i.e., Frankish) influence. |
| Etymology: The name perhaps derives from the old-Germanic *frankon, javelin or lance. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first citation in the sense "language of the Franks" is from 1863: "France kept Frank names … while ceasing to speak Frankish." (Miss Sewell, Christian Names i. 6) |