afraid

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*prāy-
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*frijōną“to free; to love”
3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*friþuz“peace”
4. Frankish · derived from*friþu“security, peace”
5. Old French · derived fromeffreer
6. Anglo-Norman · derived fromafrayer“to terrify, disquiet, disturb”
7. Middle English · inherited fromaffrayed
8. English todayafraid

From Middle English affrayed, affraied, past participle of afraien (“to affray”), from Anglo-Norman afrayer (“to terrify, disquiet, disturb”), from Old French effreer, esfreer (“to disturb, remove the peace from”), from es- (“out”) + freer (“to secure, secure the peace”), from Frankish *friþu (“security, peace”), from Proto-Germanic *friþuz (“peace”), from Proto-Germanic *frijōną (“to free; to love”), from Proto-Indo-European *prāy-, *prēy- (“to like, love”). By surface analysis, affray + -ed. Compare also afeard. More at free, friend.

Words from the same roots