The names Geri and Freki have been interpreted as meaning either "the greedy one" or "the ravenous one".^[1] 

The name Geri can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic adjective *geraz, attested in Burgundian girs, Old Norse gerr, Old High German ger or giri and Old Dutch gir, all of which mean "greedy".^[2]

The name Freki can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic adjective *frekaz, attested in Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍃 (faihufriks) "covetous, avaricious", Old Norse frekr "greedy", Old English frec "desirous, greedy, gluttonous, audacious" and Old High German freh "greedy".^[3] John Lindow interprets both Old Norse names as nominalized adjectives.^[

^{In Norse mythology, Geri and Freki are two wolves which are said to accompany the god Odin. They are attested in the Poetic Edda, a collection of epic poetry compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in the poetry of skalds.}