| 1 | English | afear | To imbue with fear; to affright, to terrify |
| 2 | Middle English | aferen | to frighten, terrify |
| 3 | Old English | āfǣran | to terrify, dismay |
| 4 | Old English | fǣran | to frighten, raven; to frighten; to devour, raven |
| 5 | Old English | fǣr | sudden attack; sudden danger, calamity, ambush; a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fērą | danger |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |