afeard
English
Adjective
afeard (comparative more afeard, superlative most afeard)
- (archaic or dialectal) Afraid.
- c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
- Pray you pass with your best violence;
I am afeard you make a wanton of me.
- 1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XXV, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 197:
- I feel as if something’s behind me all the time; and I’m afeard to turn around, becuz maybe there’s others in front a-waiting for a chance.
Derived terms
Related terms
Anagrams
Scots
Etymology
From Middle English afered, past participle of aferen, chiefly archaic. The aphetic forms feard, feart, are more common.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /əˈfiːrd/, /əˈfiːrt/
Adjective
References
- “afeard, ppl.adj.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
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