Where does “fright” come from?

fright (Middle English) comes from Old English fryhtu, from Old English fyrhtu, from Proto-West Germanic furhtī, from Proto-Germanic furhtį̄, from Proto-Indo-European perǵ-.

fright (Middle English): Alternative form of frith; A fright or scare

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of frith; A fright or scare

Ancestry of “fright”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishfryhtuAlternative form of fyrhtu: fright
2Old Englishfyrhtufright
3Proto-West Germanicfurhtīfright, fear
4Proto-Germanicfurhtį̄fear, fright
5Proto-Indo-Europeanperǵ-—

Words derived from “fright”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European perǵ- →
fright — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer