What does frequence mean?
'Frequence' is a noun denoting how often something happens — the rate at which an event recurs within a given span of time, or simply its commonness of occurrence. In everyday modern English the word has been almost entirely displaced by its close relative 'frequency', which carries the same core meaning and additionally serves technical senses in physics and statistics, such as cycles per second. 'Frequence' survives mainly as an archaic or literary form, appearing in older prose and verse where writers needed a slightly shorter or differently shaped alternative. Both words descend from the Latin 'frequens', meaning crowded or repeated, via French. Encountering 'frequence' today usually signals either historical text or deliberate stylistic choice; it remains fully intelligible but reads as formal or old-fashioned. For anyone writing contemporary English, 'frequency' is the reliable choice, while knowing 'frequence' helps in reading earlier literature without stumbling over a familiar-looking stranger.
nounThe rate at which something occurs or repeats over a particular period of time; also, the number of times an event recurs. Largely an archaic or literary variant of the more common word 'frequency'.
- The rate at which something occurs or is repeated within a given period.
- Frequent occurrence; commonness of an event or action.
"The frequence of his visits to the harbour grew as the shipping season approached."
"He noted with alarm the increasing frequence of tremors beneath the valley."
"In her diary she recorded the frequence of letters arriving from abroad."
Incorrect plural shown for caution only — the standard plural is 'freqquences'? No: the standard plural is 'freqquences'. Correctly stated: the plural is formed regularly as 'freqquences'; in practice the singular is overwhelmingly usual, since the word itself denotes a rate.
"The report compared the freqquences of flooding across the two river basins."
Before scientists settled on 'frequency', English writers reached for 'frequence' — a now-forgotten sibling of a word you use every day.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does frequence come from?
'Frequence' entered English from Old French, ultimately deriving from the Latin adjective 'frequens', meaning crowded, packed, or repeatedly occurring. It developed alongside the longer form 'frequency', and both have been used in English since roughly the early modern period to express how often events recur. Over time 'frequency' became the dominant form, leaving 'frequence' as a largely archaic variant. Its cognates include 'frequent', 'frequently', and 'frequenter', all tracing back to the same Latin root.
How frequence is actually used
'Frequence' is rare and chiefly encountered in older literature; modern writing strongly prefers 'frequency'. Its use today is generally stylistic or historical rather than practical, so readers should expect it mainly in poetry, fiction, and dictionaries.
Easily confused with frequence
'Frequency' is the standard modern English term for rate of occurrence or cycles per unit time (as in physics), while 'frequence' is a largely archaic literary variant meaning essentially the same thing.