fear

• n. 害怕；恐懼；敬畏；擔(dān)心
• vt. 害怕；敬畏；為…擔(dān)心
• vi. 害怕；敬畏；為…擔(dān)心

來自PIE*per, 向前，嘗試，詞源同far, peril, experience. 由嘗試引申詞義風(fēng)險，害怕。

fear

fear: [OE] ‘Being frightened’ seems to be a comparatively recent development in the semantic history of the word fear. In Old English times the verb meant ‘be afraid’, but the noun meant ‘sudden terrible event, danger’, and it did not develop its modern sense – possibly under the influence of the verb – until the 13th century (the Old English nouns for ‘fear’ were ege and fyrhto, source of modern English fright).

Related words, such as German gefahr and Dutch gevaar, both meaning ‘danger’, confirm that this is the earlier sense (as would Latin perīculum ‘danger’ – source of English peril – if, as has been suggested, it too is connected). Taking the search wider, possible links with Latin perītus ‘experienced’, Greek peráō ‘go through’, and English fare ‘go’ point to an underlying meaning ‘what one undergoes, experience’.
=> peril

fear (n.)

Middle English fere, from Old English f?r "calamity, sudden danger, peril, sudden attack," from Proto-Germanic *feraz "danger" (cognates: Old Saxon far "ambush," Old Norse far "harm, distress, deception," Dutch gevaar, German Gefahr "danger"), from PIE *per- "to try, risk," a form of verbal root *per- (3) "to lead, pass over" (cognates: Latin periculum "trial, risk, danger;" Greek peria "trial, attempt, experience," Old Irish aire "vigilance," Gothic ferja "watcher"); related to *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per).

Sense of "state of being afraid, uneasiness caused by possible danger" developed by late 12c. Some Old English words for "fear" as we now use it were fyrhto, fyrhto; as a verb, ondr?dan. Meaning "feeling of dread and reverence for God" is from c. 1400. To put the fear of God (into someone) "intimidate, cause to cower" is by 1888, from the common religious phrase; the extended use was often at first in colonial contexts:

Thus then we seek to put "the fear of God" into the natives at the point of the bayonet, and excuse ourselves for the bloody work on the plea of the benefits which we intend to confer afterwards. [Felix Adler, "The Religion of Duty," 1905]

fear (v.)

Old English f?ran "to terrify, frighten," from a Proto-Germanic verbal form of the root of fear (n.). Cognates: Old Saxon faron "to lie in wait," Middle Dutch vaeren "to fear," Old High German faren "to plot against," Old Norse f?ra "to taunt."

Originally transitive in English; long obsolete in this sense but somewhat revived in digital gaming via "fear" spells, which matches the old sense "drive away by fear," attested early 15c. Meaning "feel fear" is late 14c. Related: Feared; fearing.

1. His mind was a haze of fear and confusion.

由于害怕和困惑，他當(dāng)時處于一種混沌狀態(tài)。

來自柯林斯例句

2. He seems either to fear women or to sentimentalize them.

他似乎要么怕女人要么就對她們懷有浪漫想法。

來自柯林斯例句

3. Mack made his voice quiver with fear on these last two words.

麥克說出最后這兩個字時，嚇得聲音顫抖。

來自柯林斯例句

4. I would overcome any weakness, any despair, any fear.

我要克服所有的軟弱、絕望和恐懼。

來自柯林斯例句

5. Oil majors need not fear being unable to sell their crude.

大型石油公司無需擔(dān)心原油銷售不出去。

來自柯林斯例句