Meaning: fear

Illustrative Context

While the dog was here, I was scared.

Note: the English lexeme fear as a verb is for most speakers now a somewhat limited, formal or old usage. (The noun fear remains very common.) On these grounds, following the IE-CoR policy on register, the lexeme selected in English is (the more default register) be afraid or be scared, depending on variety.

Target Sense

• The target sense is intransitive, i.e. for being afraid, not being afraid of something.
• The target sense is stative, i.e. the condition of being afraid, so avoid change-of-state terms that mean get frightened, where different.
• Depending on the language, the default intransitive form may be either marked or unmarked vis à vis the transitive form; please nonetheless provide the intransitive.
• There is no requirement or expectation for a simplex verb form like fear. On the contrary, do not supply one if the basic expression in your language uses some other construction. E.g. in French, the basic term is not craindre but avoir peur. Indeed in this particular meaning there is a great deal of variation in the precise constructions used across different languages, for example:
  • Latin (rather unusually) does have an unmarked intransitive temere.
  • Greek and Old Irish use a middle voice.
  • Slavic uses a reflexive verb.
  • Many West European languages have moved to light verb constructions such as have + noun, e.g. German Angst haben, or French avoir peur.
  • English has be + adjective afraid or scared.
  • Irish has be with non-canonical subject marking + noun.