fear

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General Australian) IPA(key): /fɪə/ (General American) IPA(key): /fɪəɹ/, /fɪɹ/ (East Anglia, cheer–chair merger) IPA(key): /fɛː/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /fiə/ (Scotland) IPA(key): /fiɹ/ Homophones: fair, fare (both cheer–chair merger) Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ) === Etymology 1 === 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 go through, carry forth, try”). Cognate with Dutch gevaar (“danger, risk, peril”), German Gefahr (“danger, risk, hazard”), Swedish fara (“danger, risk, peril”), Latin perīculum (“danger, risk, trial”). Doublet of peril. 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”). ==== Noun ==== fear (countable and uncountable, plural fears) (uncountable) A strong, unpleasant emotion or feeling caused by actual or perceived danger or threat. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:fear (countable) A phobia, a sense of fear induced by something or someone in particular. (countable) Something one is afraid of; the object of one’s fear. (uncountable) Terrified veneration or reverence, particularly towards God, gods, or sovereigns. Synonym: dread (UK, with definite article, "the fear") A feeling of dread and anxiety when waking after drinking a lot of alcohol, wondering what one did while drunk. Synonym: hangxiety ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== fear (third-person singular simple present fears, present participle fearing, simple past and past participle feared) (transitive) To be afraid of (something or someone); to consider or expect (something or someone) with alarm. (intransitive) To feel fear. (intransitive) To worry about, to feel concern for, to be afraid for [with for]. (transitive) To venerate; to feel awe towards. (transitive) To regret. (obsolete, transitive) To cause fear to; to frighten. (obsolete, transitive) To be anxious or solicitous for. (obsolete, transitive) To suspect; to doubt. ===== Synonyms ===== (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 ===== Antonyms ===== (antonym(s) of “venerate; to feel awe towards”): belittle, contemn ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === From Middle English fere, feore, from Old English fēre (“able to go, fit for service”), from Proto-Germanic *fēriz (“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 fær (“able”). Related to fare. ==== Adjective ==== fear (comparative more fear, superlative most fear) (dialectal) Able; capable; stout; strong; sound. ===== Alternative forms ===== feer === Anagrams === FERA, Fera, Rafe, fare, reaf == Irish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fʲaɾˠ/, (Cois Fharraige) [fʲæːɾˠ] === Etymology 1 === From Old Irish fer, from Proto-Celtic *wiros, from Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós. Cognate with Welsh gŵr, Breton gour, Cornish gour, Gaulish viros, Latin vir, Sanskrit वीर (vīra), Lithuanian výras, Avestan 𐬬𐬍𐬭𐬀 (vīra), and Old English wer. ==== Noun ==== fear m (genitive singular fir, nominative plural fir) man (adult male) husband, male spouse ===== Declension ===== ===== Derived terms ===== === Etymology 2 === From Middle Irish feraid, from Old Irish feraid. ==== Verb ==== fear (present analytic fearann, future analytic fearfaidh, verbal noun fearadh, past participle feartha) (transitive) to shed (a liquid) to excrete ===== Conjugation ===== === Mutation === === References === === Further reading === Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “fear”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959), “fear”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm “fear”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2026 == Scots == === Noun === fear (plural fears) fear === Verb === fear (third-person singular simple present fears, present participle fearin, simple past and past participle feart) to fear to frighten, scare == Scottish Gaelic == === Etymology === Inherited from Old Irish fer, from Proto-Celtic *wiros, from Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fɛɾ/, /fæɾ/ === Noun === fear m (genitive singular fir, plural fir) man husband, male spouse ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === Pronoun === fear (genitive fir) somebody, something, one ==== Usage notes ==== 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. ==== Derived terms ==== feareigin fear mu seach === See also === bean === Mutation === === References === === Further reading === Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 fer”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language == West Frisian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈfɪə̯r/ === Etymology 1 === From Old Frisian fethere, from Proto-West Germanic *feþru, from Proto-Germanic *feþrō, from Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥. Cognate with English feather, Greek φτερό (fteró, “wing, feather”), Latin penna (“wing, feather”) and Irish éan (“bird”). ==== Noun ==== fear c (plural fearren, diminutive fearke) feather spring (mechanical device) ===== Further reading ===== “fear (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011 === Etymology 2 === From Proto-Germanic *farjǭ. Cognate with Dutch veer, English ferry. ==== Noun ==== fear n (plural fearen) ferry ===== Further reading ===== “fear (II)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011 === Etymology 3 === From Old Frisian *farn, from Proto-West Germanic *farn. ==== Noun ==== fear c (plural fearen) fern ===== Further reading ===== “fear (III)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011 === Etymology 4 === From Old Frisian *farch, from Proto-West Germanic *farh. Cognate with English farrow. ==== Adjective ==== fear farrow ===== Inflection ===== ===== Further reading ===== “fear (V)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011