Fear

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /fɪə/

Definitions

1. An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat
2. A strong feeling of anxiety or dread triggered by awareness of potential harm or danger
3. A distressing sensation arising from the perception of imminent threat or peril to one's safety or well-being

Etymology: The English noun "fear" once meant something much closer to "danger" or "sudden attack" than to the inward emotion we feel today. Old English "fǣr" referred to calamity, peril, and even a terrible sight, and the sense of an inner dread only developed later. The noun's roots run deep: it descends from a Proto-Germanic word for danger, which in turn traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to go through, carry forth, try." That same root gave Latin "perīculum," meaning danger, risk, or trial, and it is also the ancestor of "peril," which entered English by a separate route from French. The two words are doublets, two forms of one source. The verb came along later, from Middle English "feren," which was formed from the noun and originally meant to frighten or to terrify. So the verb began as a way of making someone feel the external threat itself. Over centuries, the emphasis moved from the danger out in the world to the mind of the person facing it.

Synonyms: anxiety, terror, dread, apprehension, fright

Antonyms: courage, bravery, calm