dread
pronunciation
How to pronounce dread in British English:
UK [dred]
How to pronounce dread in American English:
US [dred]
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- Noun:
- fearful expectation or anticipation
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- Verb:
- be afraid or scared of; be frightened of
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- Adjective:
- causing fear or dread or terror
Word Origin
- dread
- dread: [12] Old English had the verb ondrǣdan ‘fear’. Its first syllable is generally taken to be the prefix *and- ‘against’, which is related to German ent- ‘away, un-’ and Greek anti- (source of English anti-) and appears also in English answer. The second part, however, remains a mystery. There are one or two related forms in other West Germanic languages, such as Old High German intrātan, but where they come from has never been established satisfactorily. By the end of the Old English period this obsolete prefix had shrunk to a- (adread survived until around 1400), and in the 12th century it started to disappear altogether.
- dread (v.)
- late 12c., a shortening of Old English adrædan, contraction of ondrædan "counsel or advise against," also "to dread, fear, be afraid," from on- "against" + rædan "to advise" (see read (v.)). Cognate of Old Saxon andradon, Old High German intraten. Related: Dreaded; dreading. As a noun from 12c.
Example
- 1. Choose your dinner with dread .
- 2. The bank says it keeps plenty of liquid reserves against the dread day .
- 3. Remember , the holidays are a time to look forward to , not dread .
- 4. But being constantly in dread of fresh catastrophes is impractical and taints our judgment .
- 5. That is why most men dread it .