feared, ppl. a.
(fɪəd)
Forms: 3–6 fer(e)d, (3 ferid, 5 fard, feerd, 6 Sc. feired, ferit), 4–6 ferde, 5–7 feard, (4, 6 comp. and superl. fearder, -est), 8– dial. feart, 6– feared.
[f. fear v. + -ed1.]
† 1. Affected with fear, frightened, afraid; timid. Const. of, for, indicating either the cause of fear, or less frequently (= about) the object of concern; with inf. = afraid to (do something). Obs. exc. dial.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 1834 (Gött.) [Þai] war nohut fered of his manace. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 1998 Of þeym boþe was he nought ferd. c 1340 Cursor M. 2423 (Fairf.) Þe kinge was ferde for goddis grame. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 394 Puple wolde be ferde to dwelle in his servise. c 1386 Chaucer Nun's Pr. T. 566 The veray hogges So fered were for berking of the dogges. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 2566 Whoso es ferd i rede he fle. c 1400 Destr. Troy 13842 The..kyng [was] of his lyf feerd. c 1449 Pecock Repr. 550 So..Ferd forto trespace. c 1450 Lonelich Grail lv. 450 The swerd, Of whiche many men was aftyr ferd. 14.. Chester Pl. (1847) II. 91 Fearder I never was. 1534 More On the Passion Wks. 1322/1 That passyon..of which he was so ferd. 1578 Ps. cxxviii. in Gude & G. Ball. 113 Of thy hand labour thow sall eit, be not feird. a 1605 Polwart Flyting w. Montgomerie 788 Feard flyar..I sall dunt whill I slay thee. 1650 Baxter Saints' R. iii. xiii. (1662) 506 Conscience grows feared. 1698 Lister in Phil. Trans. XX. 247 They..would have cropen away in a feared manner. 1715 Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 67 A few such feared fools, as I am reckoned hereabout. 1812 H. & J. Smith Rej. Addr. ix. (1873) 84 What are they fear'd on? 1816 Scott Antiq. xxxix, ‘I'm maist fear'd to speak to him.’ 1828 Hood Lamia iii. 40 Jove! I was feared. 1869 C. Gibbon R. Gray iii, ‘You'll no be feart to sail on a Friday.’ 1891 E. Arnold Lt. of World 82 Thyself More feared of Cæsar than of wrongfulness. |
† 2. Apprehensive, having an uneasy foreboding. Chiefly with clause introduced by lest or that; rarely const. to with inf. Obs. exc. dial.
| 1440 Plumpton Corr. 155 He is feard lest they wyll not appeare without a suppena. c 1450 Merlin 27 He was ferde to lese his londe. c 1460 Towneley Myst. (Surtees) 116, I am fulle fard that we tary to lang. a 1535 More Sargeant & Frere 233 in Hazl. E.P.P. III. 127 Yet was this man well fearder than, lest he the frier had slaine. 1884 J. Purves in Gd. Words Nov. 767/1 ‘Wives are feared a man gets another sweetheart in six months' time away fra' hame.’ |
3. In senses of fear v. 5 and 7: Regarded with fear; anticipated or suspected with uneasiness; † apprehensively supposed to be such.
| 1599 Sandys Europæ Spec. (1632) 74 Their professed and feared Enemies. a 1618 Raleigh Prerog. Parl. Ep. Ded. (1628) 2 The fear'd continuance of the like abuse. 1663 J. Spencer Prodigies (1665) 83 Addresses to divert a feared..displeasure of the Deity. 1719 Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 451 The feared stand the success of the gospel is at. 1762 Falconer Shipwr. ii. 380 Pondering in their minds each fear'd event. 1890 Daily News 8 Sept. 6/7 Feared loss of a Liverpool ship. |
Hence † ˈfearedly adv., fearfully, timidly.
| c 1470 Henry Wallace vii. 255 Ferdly scho ast, ‘Allace! quhar is Wallace?’ |