Where does “dread” come from?
Dread derives from Middle English dreden, from Old English drǣdan and ondrǣdan, from Proto-West Germanic andarādan and its prefix anda-, ultimately from Proto-Germanic rēdaną and Proto-Indo-European h₂énti and h₂ent-.
dread (English): To fear greatly; To anticipate with fear; To be...
Definitions
- To fear greatly; To anticipate with fear; To be...
Ancestry of “dread”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | dreden | To fear or dread |
| 2 | Old English | drǣdan | to fear, dread |
| 3 | Old English | ondrǣdan | to fear, dread |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | andarādan | to be afraid, fear; to be in awe |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | anda- | against, opposing; in return, back; facing,... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | anda- | against, opposing; un-, de- |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énti | opposite; near; in front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |