afear

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*per-“to try, dare, risk”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*fērō“danger”
3. Old English · derived fromāfǣran“to terrify, dismay”
4. Middle English · derived fromaferen“to frighten, terrify”
5. English todayafear

From Middle English aferen (“to frighten, terrify”), from Old English āfǣran (“to terrify, dismay”), from ā- (perfective prefix) + fǣran (“to frighten; to devour, raven”), from fǣr (“sudden danger, calamity, ambush; a blitz”), from Proto-Germanic *fērō (“danger”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to try, dare, risk”).

Words from the same roots