*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of adread

From Middle English adreden, from late Old English ādrǣdan, from earlier Old English ondrǣdan, from Proto-West Germanic *andrādan.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To dread, fear greatly. · To fear, be afraid.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English adreden, from late Old English ādrǣdan, from earlier Old English ondrǣdan, from Proto-West Germanic *andrādan.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "adreden"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English adreden"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ādrǣdan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ādrǣdan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ondrǣdan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ondrǣdan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*andrādan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *andrādan"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "adreden",
      "adreden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ādrǣdan",
      "adrædan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ondrǣdan",
      "ondrædan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*andrādan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/andrādan"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To dread, fear greatly.",
        "To fear, be afraid."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "transitive",
        "intransitive",
        "reflexive"
      ],
      "recordId": "23639698592f49e70ce463b7278e5c4b1f7168e1d852e041fba263f9be93bfe9",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fe3017fd404e9596aa03f1e6ace040abdeccb7a70bc254f1bb3ecd5a52068e75",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5709877
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Affected by or full of dread; fearful.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English adred, adrad, past participle of Middle English adreden, from Old English ondrǣdan, equivalent to a- + dread. Compare also Middle English ofdradd (“afraid”), Old English ofdrǣdd (“terrified, afraid”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "adred"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English adred"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "adreden"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English adreden"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ondrǣdan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ondrǣdan"
    },
    {
      "name": "prefix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "a",
        "3": "dread"
      },
      "expansion": "a- + dread"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ofdradd",
        "t": "afraid"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ofdradd (“afraid”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "ofdrǣdd",
        "t": "terrified, afraid"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ofdrǣdd (“terrified, afraid”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "adred",
      "adred#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "adrad",
      "adrad#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "adreden",
      "adreden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ondrǣdan",
      "ondrædan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#English"
    ],
    [
      "dread",
      "dread#English"
    ],
    [
      "ofdradd",
      "ofdradd#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ofdrǣdd",
      "ofdrædd#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Affected by or full of dread; fearful."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "7fd634c12e14f2a739951effb4df1e80611017d70e851f4ab348aa1635d10619",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a441b742d54e04c170d936f1b489f67bdd36e5f4d22a9aee93283f7ee3c2c305",
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    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for adread →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YWRyZWFk