Old English Frencisc, of Germanic origin, from the base of Frank.

• French and France come from the Franks who invaded the area in the 6th century (see emancipate). For centuries the French and English were enemies, which has influenced the way French is used in English. Unceremonious guests have taken French leave since the 18th century. The expression is said to come from the French custom of leaving a dinner or ball without saying goodbye to their host or hostess. It is first recorded just after the Seven Years War (1756–63), when France and Britain were struggling for supremacy overseas. It is perhaps not entirely surprising to find that the French themselves take a different view: the equivalent French expression is filer à l'Anglaise ‘to escape in the style of the English’. The British also regard the French as rather naughty, as the terms French kiss, French knickers, and French letter (for a condom) indicate. This idea is far from new, as the following phrase from Tom Jones (1749) by Henry Fielding indicates: ‘I would wish to draw a Curtain over…certain French novels.’