fær

fær¹ sudden danger

Etymology tree of fær¹

inherited borrowed derived

Old English fǣr

English fear

From the same root · fær¹

English fearful ← fǣr

English fearsome ← fǣr

English fearless ← fear

Pronunciation

• /fæːr/^[1]

Forms

fǣr m (strong a-stem; genitive singular fǣres, nominative plural fǣras)^[1]

• Anglian and Kentish: fēr.^[2][3]

Etymology

The word for sudden danger is inherited from Proto-Germanic *fērō (“danger”).^[1][3] Its cognates are Old Saxon fār (“ambush”), Old High German fāra (“ambush, danger”) and Old Norse fár (“harm, evil passion”).^[4][1] Orel compares Old Armenian փորձ (pʻorj, “attempt”) and Ancient Greek πεῖρα (peîra, “attempt, trial”).^[4] Wiktionary explains the Germanic noun as made from an unrecorded adjective “risky”, a vṛddhi formation to a verb “to risk” from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to go through”);^[1][3] Köbler too sets it under a root *per- “to try, risk”.^[1][3]

Proto-Germanic /ē/ appears in West Saxon as ⟨ǣ⟩ and in Anglian and Kentish as ⟨ē⟩, which accounts for the spelling fēr.^[5][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is first recorded in poetry copied in the second half of the tenth century.^[6][7][8] In Andreas in the Vercelli Book, Duguð wearð afyrhted þurh þæs flodes fær “the company was terrified by the onrush of the flood”; in Daniel in the Junius manuscript, the Babylonians are struck ær him fær godes þurh egesan gryre aldre gesceode “before God's sudden attack harmed their lives through the horror of fear”; and Judgement Day I in the Exeter Book speaks of the time þonne se fær cymeþ “when the calamity comes”.^[6][7][8][9]

Semantic evolution

In Old English the word means a sudden danger or calamity, and a sudden attack.^[10][11] In Beowulf hie se fær begeat “the disaster overtook them”.^[12][11] The Andreas poet uses it of an assault.^[13] Bosworth and Toller also translate it as fear, as in Exodus fær ongeton “they felt fear”, and in glosses it renders Latin “casus”.^[12][3] As the first element of compounds it means “sudden”, as in fǣrlīċ.^[12]

It became Middle English fer, now English fear, used of the feeling of fear in the earliest Middle English records.^[14][15] Etymonline dates that sense to the late twelfth century.^[15]

Timeline

• s. x² – þurh þæs flodes fær in Andreas in the Vercelli Book.^[6][9]
• s. x² – fær godes “God's sudden attack” in Daniel in the Junius manuscript.^[7][9]
• s. x² – mid fere in Christ in the Exeter Book, with Anglian ⟨e⟩.^[8][2]
• s. x/xi – hie se fær begeat in the Beowulf manuscript.^[16][11]
• c. 1300 – Middle English fere “fear”.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. sudden danger, peril, calamity.^[12][10][3]
2. a sudden attack, an assault.^[11][13]
3. (poetic) fear, terror.^[12][2]

Word family

• fǣrgripe
• fǣrgryre
• fǣrlīċ
• ġefǣr

Descendants

• Middle English fere (→ English fear; Scots fere; Scots feir)^[1]

fær² journey

Pronunciation

• /fær/^[1]

Forms

fær n (strong a-stem; genitive singular færes, nominative plural faru)^[1]

Etymology

The word for the journey is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *far, from Proto-Germanic *farą, a noun made from the verb that gave faran (“to go, travel”).^[1][17] Its cognates are Old Norse far (“way, vehicle, ship”) and Old High German far (“harbour, landing place”).^[17][18][19] Holthausen compares Ancient Greek πόρος (póros, “ford”), and Köbler sets the word under the root Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to carry across”).^[19][18]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first dated record is Genesis A in the Junius manuscript, of the second half of the tenth century, where God tells Noah ðu ðæt fær gewyrc “make that vessel”, and the ark is fær Noes “Noah's vessel”.^[7][12]

Semantic evolution

The noun names a going, journey or way, an expedition and the passage of people.^[12][10] In the West Saxon Gospels anes dæges fær renders Latin “iter diei”, and in Elene ðæt wæs fær micel “that was a great expedition”.^[12] It also names a vehicle or ship: the ark in Genesis A, Scyld's funeral ship in Beowulf.^[12][20] Sweet adds a road (mannes fær “thoroughfare”), the course of a life and movable goods.^[10][18]

In Middle English it fell together with faru as Middle English fare, now English fare; the old sense of a journey survives in compounds such as wayfarer.^[15]

Timeline

• s. x² – fær Noes “Noah's ark” in Genesis A in the Junius manuscript.^[7][12]
• s. x² – ðæt wæs fær micel in Elene in the Vercelli Book.^[6][12]
• s. x ex. – þæs folces fær mid ðam hælende “the passing of the crowd with the Saviour” in Ælfric's Catholic Homilies I.^[21][9]
• s. x/xi – æþelinges fær “the prince's ship” in the Beowulf manuscript.^[16][20]
• s. xi in. – noldon þæs færes him getyðian “would not grant them passage” in Ælfric's Lives of Saints.^[22][9]

Meanings

Noun

1. a going, journey, passage; an expedition.^[12][10][18]
2. a way, road.^[10]
3. course of life, proceedings.^[10][18]
4. movable possessions.^[10][18]
5. a vessel, ship;^[12][20] Noah's ark.^[12][20]

Word family

• ġefær
• ūtfær
• infær
• oferfær
• þurhfær
• ymbfær

Descendants

• Middle English fare (→ English fare; Scots fare)^[1]