Where does “penny dreadful” come from?
penny dreadful (English) comes from English dreadful, from Middle English dredful, from Middle English dred, from Middle English dreden, from Old English drǣdan, from Old English ondrǣdan, from Proto-West Germanic andarādan, from Proto-West Germanic anda- — on, onto.
penny dreadful (English): A cheap paperback book, "particularly" those...
Definitions
- A cheap paperback book, "particularly" those...
Ancestry of “penny dreadful”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dreadful | Full of something causing dread, "whether"; Full... |
| 2 | Middle English | dredful | Having dread or fear |
| 3 | Middle English | dred | Fear, dread; the state of being frightened |
| 4 | Middle English | dreden | To fear or dread |
| 5 | Old English | drǣdan | to fear, dread |
| 6 | Old English | ondrǣdan | to fear, dread |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | andarādan | to be afraid, fear; to be in awe |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | anda- | against, opposing; in return, back; facing,... |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | anda- | against, opposing; un-, de- |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énti | opposite; near; in front |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |