Frangere

Frangere is a Latin verb meaning to break, crack, or shatter. It is transitive and typically takes a direct object. The infinitive is frangere, and the standard principal parts are frango, frangere, fregi, fractum. It belongs to the third conjugation.

In the present system, the active indicative forms include frango, frangas, frangit, frangimus, frangitis, frangunt; the passive equivalents are frangor, frangeris, frangitur, frangimur, frangimini, franguntur. The imperfect uses the usual third-conjugation endings (for example, frangebam, frangebas, frangebat, etc.), and the future uses frangam, frangēs, franget, frangēmus, frangētis, frangent. The perfect active is formed with fregi, and the supine is fractum.

In usage, frangere governs a direct object in the accusative, e.g., murum frangere, “to break the wall.” The verb can be used metaphorically as well, to denote breaking or violating non-physical boundaries, laws, or rules, though more common verbs exist in Latin for those senses.

Etymology and cognates: frangere derives from the Latin root frang-, from Proto-Italic *frang-, and is related to a family of words in many languages. In English, this root yields fragment, fracture, fragile, frangible, fraction, fractious, and related terms.