Where does “fear” come from?

fear (Irish) comes from Old Irish fér, from Primitive Irish ᚃᚔᚏᚐᚄ, from Proto-Celtic wiros, from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós, from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.

fear (Irish): grass; marijuana

Definitions

  1. grass; marijuana

Ancestry of “fear”, step by step

fear traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Irish fér

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Irishférgrass
2Primitive Irishᚃᚔᚏᚐᚄman
3Proto-Celticwirosman; husband
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanwiHrósman; husband; warrior, hero
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweyh₁-to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute

via Middle Irish feraid

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Irishferaidto grant; to supply, to provide
2Old Irishferaidto grant; to supply, to provide; to pour, to...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “fear”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- →