Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

afear

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: afear
IPA

8

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To imbue with fear; to affright, to terrify.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"Moreouer the perfit beleue of this article, worketh in all true chriſten people, aloue to continue in this vnitie, and afeare to be caſte out of the ſame, and it worketh in them that be ſinners and repentant, great comforte, and conſolacion, to obteine remiſſion of ſinne, by vertue of Chriſtes paſſion, and adminiſtracion of his ſacramentes at the miniſters handes, ordained for that purpoſe, [...]"
"Be not affeard, the Iſle is full of noyſes, / Sounds, and ſweet aires, that giue delight and hurt not."

Etymology

From Middle English aferen (“to frighten, terrify”), from Old English āfǣran (“to terrify, dismay”), from ā- (perfective prefix) + fǣran (“to frighten; to devour, raven”), from fǣr (“sudden danger, calamity, ambush; a blitz”), from Proto-Germanic *fērō (“danger”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to try, dare, risk”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: aferen, āfǣran, *fērō, *per-

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

afears (present, singular) afearing (participle, present) afeared (participle, past) afeared (past) affear (alternative)

Derived Forms

afeard

Rhymes With

here year we're near clear hear career fear wear appear dear beer

Questions

What does afear mean?: To imbue with fear; to affright, to terrify.
Where does afear come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce afear

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “afear”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “afear”.
Repeat and practice — Say “afear” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.