*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dread

From Middle English dreden, from Old English drǣdan (“to fear, dread”), aphetic form of ondrǣdan (“to fear, dread”), from Proto-West Germanic *andarādan, equivalent to Old English and- + rǣdan (whence read); correspondin

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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 fear greatly. · To anticipate with fear. · To be in dread, or great fear. · To style (the hair) into dreadlocks.

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

From Middle English dreden, from Old English drǣdan (“to fear, dread”), aphetic form of ondrǣdan (“to fear, dread”), from Proto-West Germanic *andarādan, equivalent to Old English and- + rǣdan (whence read); corresponding to an aphesis of earlier adread. Akin to Old Saxon antdrādan, andrādan (“to fear, dread”), Old High German intrātan (“to fear”), Middle High German entrāten (“to fear, dread, frighten”).

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.

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        "3": "dreden"
      },
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    },
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        "2": "ang",
        "3": "drǣdan",
        "t": "to fear, dread"
      },
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    },
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    },
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    },
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      },
      "expansion": "Old Saxon antdrādan"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "intrātan",
        "t": "to fear"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German intrātan (“to fear”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gmh",
        "2": "entrāten",
        "t": "to fear, dread, frighten"
      },
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "dreden",
      "dreden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "drǣdan",
      "drædan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ondrǣdan",
      "ondrædan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*andarādan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/andarādan"
    ],
    [
      "and-",
      "and-#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "rǣdan",
      "rædan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "read",
      "read#English"
    ],
    [
      "adread",
      "adread#English"
    ],
    [
      "antdrādan",
      "antdradan#Old_Saxon"
    ],
    [
      "andrādan",
      "andradan#Old_Saxon"
    ],
    [
      "intrātan",
      "intratan#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "entrāten",
      "entraten#Middle_High_German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
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        "To fear greatly.",
        "To anticipate with fear.",
        "To be in dread, or great fear.",
        "To style (the hair) into dreadlocks."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Great fear in view of impending evil; fearful apprehension of danger; anticipatory terror. · Reverential or respectful fear; awe. · Somebody or something dreaded. · A person highly revered.

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

From Middle English drede, dred, from the verb (see above). Cognate with Old Frisian drēd, drēde (“fear, dread”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiondredeenm
  • Cognate mentiondrēdofs

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "inh",
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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "drede"
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
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        "2": "drēd"
      },
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    }
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    ],
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      "dred",
      "dred#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "drēd",
      "dred#Old_Frisian"
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      "drede#Old_Frisian"
    ]
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        "A person highly revered."
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
adj

Terrible; greatly feared; dreaded. · Awe-inspiring; held in fearful awe.

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

From Middle English drede, dredde, dradde, ydreddyd (“feared, dreaded, honoured”), past participle of Middle English dreden (“to fear, dread”). See above.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiondredeenm
  • Derivation mentiondredenenm · to fear, dread
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    },
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      "name": "der",
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        "3": "dreden",
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    ],
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      "dradde#Middle_English"
    ],
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    ],
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      "dreden#Middle_English"
    ]
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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 dread →

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-ZHJlYWQ