Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fearing” come from?

Fearing derives from Middle English fere, Old English fēre, and Proto-Indo-European per-, ultimately tracing to the Proto-Indo-European root pr̥tós.

fearing (English): present participle of fear; Exhibiting fear;...

Definitions

  1. present participle of fear; Exhibiting fear;...

Ancestry of “fearing”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfearA strong, uncontrollable, unpleasant emotion or...
2Middle Englishfere—
3Old Englishfēreable to go, fit for service
4Proto-Germanicfērizcrossing, able to cross
5Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “fearing”

  • unfearing
  • fearingly
  • unfearingly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →