frisches

Frisches is the neuter singular inflected form of the German adjective frisch, meaning fresh. It occurs when the noun it modifies is neuter singular and there is no definite determiner or when an indefinite determiner is used. Examples include frisches Brot and frisches Wasser. With a definite article, the usual neuter singular ending is -e, as in das frische Brot or das frische Wasser. The form frisches is therefore tied to neuter nouns in the singular in the absence of a definite determiner or in some indefinite determiner contexts. For other genders, different endings apply: frische Blumen (feminine plural) or frischer Kaffee (masculine singular).

Etymology and related forms: The adjective frisch derives from Old High German frisc and traces back to the broader Germanic root, with cognates in other West Germanic languages. The development of the word is part of a common Germanic pattern for describing recent production, vitality, and lack of staleness. In modern German, the sense bundle includes culinary freshness, environmental freshness, and metaphorical freshness such as new or invigorating ideas.

Usage and nuance: Frisch conveys not only that something is new or recently produced, but also that it is not stale or spoiled. It is commonly used for food, beverages, air, wind, and state of mind (frische Ideen, frische Energie). It often carries a connotation of immediacy or currentness, in contrast to synonyms like neu (new, but sometimes less tied to recency) or alt (old). In everyday language, frisches is a frequent descriptive option in both spoken and written German.

See also: Freshness in culinary labeling; German adjective declension; related forms in other Germanic languages.