afear

Meanings

verbafear (third-person singular simple present afears, present participle afearing, simple past and past participle afeared)

present singular third person afears · participle present afearing · participle past afeared · past afeared · alternative affear

dialectalobsoleteTo imbue with fear; to affright, to terrify.
Be not affeard, the Iſle is full of noyſes, / Sounds, and ſweet aires, that giue delight and hurt not.
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 12, column 2
1 more example
Moreouer the perfit beleue of this article, worketh in all true chriſten people, aloue to continue in this vnitie, and afeare to be caſte out of the ſame, and it worketh in them that be ſinners and repentant, great comforte, and conſolacion, to obteine remiſſion of ſinne, by vertue of Chriſtes paſſion, and adminiſtracion of his ſacramentes at the miniſters handes, ordained for that purpoſe, [...]
1543 June 7, Henry VIII of England, “The Nynthe Article. The Holy Catholike Churche.”, in A Necessary Doctrine and Erudicion for Any Chrysten Man, Set furth by the Kynges Maiestye of Englande, &c., imprinted at London: […] by Thomas Berthelet, […], →OCLC

Origin

Proto-Indo-European*per-“to try, dare, risk”
Proto-Germanic*fērō“danger”
Old Englishāfǣran“to terrify, dismay”
Middle Englishaferen“to frighten, terrify”
Englishafear

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”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

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