Where does “dred” come from?
dred (Middle English) comes from Middle English dreden, from Old English drǣdan, from Old English ondrǣdan, from Proto-West Germanic andarādan, from Proto-West Germanic anda-, from Proto-Germanic anda-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts — on, onto.
Ancestry of “dred”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | dreden | — |
| 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 |