Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fearful” come from?

Fearful derives from Middle English ferful, meaning full of fear or causing fear.

fearful (English): Frightening; Tending to fear; timid; Terrible;...

Definitions

  1. Frightening; Tending to fear; timid; Terrible;...

Ancestry of “fearful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishferful—

Words derived from “fearful”

  • fearfully
  • fearfulness
  • unfearful
  • unfearfully
Every word from Middle English ferful →