fear

• (General Australian, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fɪə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /fɪəɹ/, /fɪɹ/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)

From Middle English feer, fere, fer, from Old English fǣr, ġefǣr (“calamity, sudden danger, peril, sudden attack, terrible sight”), from Proto-Germanic *fērō, *fērą (“danger”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to attempt, try, research, risk”). Cognate with Dutch gevaar (“danger, risk, peril”), German Gefahr (“danger, risk, hazard”), Swedish fara (“danger, risk, peril”), Latin perīculum (“danger, risk, trial”), Albanian frikë (“fear,danger”), Romanian frică

The verb is from Middle English feren, from Old English fǣran (“to frighten, raven”), from the noun. Cognate with the archaic Dutch verb varen (“to fear; to cause fear”).

fear (countable and uncountable, plural fears)

1. (uncountable) A strong, uncontrollable, unpleasant emotion caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.

   He was struck by fear on seeing the snake.

   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 8, in The Celebrity:

     I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields, in no very mild state of fear of that gentleman's wife, whose vigilance was seldom relaxed.

   • 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, chapter III, in Nobody, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 1915, OCLC 40817384:

     Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 18, in The China Governess‎:

     ‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […]? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?’

2. (countable) A phobia, a sense of fear induced by something or someone.

   Not everybody has the same fears.  I have a fear of ants.

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 639762314, page 0045:

     Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers.

3. (uncountable) Terrified veneration or reverence, particularly towards God, gods, or sovereigns.
   • 1611, Bible (KJV), Psalm CXI, verse 10:

     The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome.

   • 1846, J. Ruskin, Modern Painters, volume II, page 121:

     That sacred dread of all offence to him, which is called the Fear of God.

• (an emotion caused by actual or perceived danger; a sense of fear induced by something or someone): See Thesaurus:fear
• (terrified veneration): dread

fear (third-person singular simple present fears, present participle fearing, simple past and past participle feared)

1. (transitive) To feel fear about (something or someone); to be afraid of; to consider or expect with alarm.

   I fear the worst will happen.

   • c. 1589, William Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors, Act I, Scene 2,

     I greatly fear my money is not safe.

   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Matthew 10:28,

     And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

   • 1892, Walter Besant, chapter II, in The Ivory Gate: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], OCLC 16832619:

     At twilight in the summer there is never anybody to fear—man, woman, or cat—in the chambers and at that hour the mice come out. They do not eat parchment or foolscap or red tape, but they eat the luncheon crumbs.

   • 2013 July 19, Mark Tran, “Denied an education by war”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 1:

     One particularly damaging, but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks on schools […] as children, teachers or school buildings become the targets of attacks. Parents fear sending their children to school. Girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence.

2. (intransitive) To feel fear (about something).

   Never fear; help is always near.

   She fears for her son’s safety.

   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Luke 12:32,

     Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

3. (transitive) To venerate; to feel awe towards.

   People who fear God can be found in Christian churches.

4. (transitive) Regret.

   I fear I have bad news for you: your husband has died.

5. (obsolete, transitive) To cause fear to; to frighten.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter x, in Le Morte Darthur, book V:

     Thenne the knyghte sayd to syre Gawayn / bynde thy wounde or thy blee chaunge / for thou bybledest al thy hors and thy fayre armes / […] / For who someuer is hurte with this blade he shalle neuer be staunched of bledynge / Thenne ansuerd gawayn hit greueth me but lytyl / thy grete wordes shalle not feare me ne lasse my courage

   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, London: William Ponsonbie, Book III, Canto IV, p. 448,

     Ythrild with deepe disdaine of his proud threat,

     She shortly thus; Fly they, that need to fly;

     Wordes fearen babes.

   • c. 1593, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, Act I, Scene 2,

     Tush, tush! fear boys with bugs.

6. (obsolete, transitive) To be anxious or solicitous for.
   • 1594, Christopher Marlowe, Edward II, London: William Jones,

     Fearst thou thy person? thou shalt haue a guard:

   • c. 1596, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act III, Scene 5,

     The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children: therefore, I promise ye, I fear you.

7. (obsolete, transitive) To suspect; to doubt.
   • c. 1590, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 2, Act I, Scene 4,

     Fear you not her courage?

• (feel fear about (something)): be afraid of, be frightened of, be scared of, be terrorised/terrorized
• (venerate; to feel awe towards): be in awe of, revere, venerate

• (venerate; to feel awe towards): belittle, contemn

• God-fearing
• never fear

From Middle English fere, feore, from Old English fēre (“able to go, fit for service”), from Proto-Germanic *fōriz (“passable”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to put across, ferry”). Cognate with Scots fere, feir (“well, active, sound”), Middle High German gevüere (“able, capable, fit, serviceable”), Swedish för (“capable, able, stout”), Icelandic færr (“able”). Related to fare.

fear (comparative more fear, superlative most fear)

1. (dialectal) Able; capable; stout; strong; sound.

   hale and fear

• feer

• FERA, Fera, Rafe, fare, reaf

• IPA^(key): /fʲaɾˠ/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /fʲæɾˠ/

From Old Irish fer, from Proto-Celtic *wiros, from Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós. Cognate with Welsh gŵr, Latin vir, and Old English wer.

fear m (genitive singular fir, nominative plural fir)

1. man (adult male)

   Tá an fear ag ól uisce.

   The man is drinking water.

   Sláinte chuig na fir agus go maire na mná go deo!

   Health to the men and may the women live forever!

2. husband, male spouse

fear (present analytic fearann, future analytic fearfaidh, verbal noun fearadh, past participle feartha)

1. (transitive) grant, provide
2. (transitive) pour out, give forth, shed
3. (transitive) wage
4. (transitive) perform, execute; hold, observe
5. (transitive) affect; benefit
6. (transitive) excrete

• "fear" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• “1 fer” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
• Tomás de Bhaldraithe, 1977, Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge: An Deilbhíocht, 2nd edition, Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, section 5 and page 339.
• Entries containing “fear” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
• Entries containing “fear” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

fear (plural fears)

1. fear

fear (third-person singular present fears, present participle fearin, past feart, past participle feart)

1. to fear
2. to frighten, scare

From Old Irish fer, from Proto-Celtic *wiros, from Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós.

• IPA^(key): /fɛɾ/

fear m (genitive singular fir, plural fir)

1. man
2. husband, male spouse

First declension; forms with the definite article:

fear (genitive fir)

1. somebody, something, one

• Used when referring to a singular masculine subject.
• For feminine subjects tè is used. Alternatively, neach can be used for either gender.
• In the plural feadhainn is used for both genders.

• feareigin
• fear mu seach

• bean

• “1 fer” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

fear c (plural fearren, diminutive fearke)

1. feather
2. spring (mechanical device)

• “fear (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

fear n (plural fearen)

1. ferry

• “fear (II)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

fear c (plural fearen)

1. fern

• “fear (III)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

fear

1. farrow

• “fear (V)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011