fordread

F4O1R1D2R1E1A1D2

verb

To be in dread of.

OriginMiddle English fordreden ← Old English fordrǣdan →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

verbfordread (third-person singular simple present fordreads, present participle fordreading, simple past and past participle fordreaded)

present singular third person fordreads · participle present fordreading · participle past fordreaded · past fordreaded

  1. intransitiveobsoleteTo be in dread of.
  2. obsoletetransitiveTo terrify greatly.

Origin

  1. Old Englishfordrǣdan“to terrify”
  2. Middle Englishfordreden
  3. Englishfordread

From Middle English fordreden, from Old English fordrǣdan (“to terrify”), equivalent to for- + dread.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

fordread. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fordread

MLA

“fordread.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fordread. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fordread,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fordread.

Source: fordread on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.