Afraid Definition
- weakhearted
- milksoppy
- henhearted
- feared
- fear-struck
- abulic
- afeared
- milk-livered
- sorry
- reluctant
- awestruck
- awestricken
- loath
- gun-shy
- diffident
Origin of Afraid
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From Middle English affrayed, affraied, past participle of afraien (“to affray”), from Anglo-Norman afrayer (“to terrify, disquiet, disturb”), from Old French effreer, esfreer (“to disturb, remove the peace from”), from es- (“ex-”) + freer (“to secure, secure the peace”), from Frankish *friþu (“security, peace”), from Proto-Germanic *friþuz (“peace”), from Proto-Germanic *frijōną (“to free; to love”), from Proto-Indo-European *prāy-, *prēy- (“to like, love”). Compare also afeard. More at free, friend.
From Wiktionary
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Middle English affraied past participle of affraien to frighten from Old French esfraier, esfreer to disturb of Germanic origin prī- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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