Etymograph

English

fear

Fear comes from Old English fǣr ‘calamity, sudden danger, peril, sudden attack,…’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to go through, carry forth, try’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-1‘to go through’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fērō1‘danger’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150fǣr1‘calamity’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500feer1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1485fear1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English fear
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory: “Thenne the knyghte sayd to syre Gawayn / bynde…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-Wiktionary, English fear‘to go through’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fērōWiktionary, English fear‘danger’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150fǣrWiktionary, English fear‘calamity’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500feerWiktionary, English fear
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1485fearWiktionary, English fear. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory: “Thenne the knyghte sayd to syre Gawayn / bynde…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to go through, carry forth, try’

first, before, support, per, report, further, price, private, press, practice, far, opportunity, pre, prior, prime, appreciate, port, primary, prize, afford, pregnant, ford, practical, forth, precious, praise, interpretation, privilege, pirate, parade, porch, primitive, prix, ferry, par, fare, interpreter, pardon, pragmatic, privy, 155 more

through Proto-Germanic *fērō ‘danger’

ferd, 1 more

Another origin of fear

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-‘to put across, ferry’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fēriz‘passable’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150fēre‘able to go, fit for service’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fere
  5. Englishtodayfear

Today it means

noun A strong, unpleasant emotion or feeling caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “fear”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *per- / fear

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