afeard
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
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.
- 2009, John Hough, Jr., Seen the Glory[1] (Fiction), Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 192:
- He's afeard of you, Luke. Don't you know that?
Derived terms
Related terms
Anagrams
Scots
Alternative forms
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
afeard (comparative mair afeard, superlative maist afeard)
Verb
afeard
- (archaic) simple past tense and past participle of afear
References
- “afeard, ppl.adj.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.