ppl. a. Forms: 3–6 fer(e)d, (3 ferid, 5 fard, feerd, 6 Sc. feired, ferit), 4–6 ferde, 5–7 feard, (4, 6 comp. and superl. fearder, -est), 8– dial. feart, 6– feared. [f. FEAR v. + -ED1.]
† 1. Affected with fear, frightened, afraid; timid. Const. of, for, indicating either the cause of fear, or less frequently (= about) the object of concern; with inf. = afraid to (do something). Obs. exc. dial.
a. 1300. Cursor Mundi, 1834 (Gött.). [Þai] war nohut fered of his manace.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 1998. Of þeym boþe was he nought ferd.
c. 1340. Cursor Mundi, 2423 (Fairf.). Þe kinge was ferde for goddis grame.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 394. Þo puple wolde be ferde to dwelle in his servise, þat is synne.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Nun’s Pr. T., 566.
| Ran cow and calf, and eke the veray hogges | |
| So fered were for berking of the dogges. |
c. 1400. Ywaine & Gaw., 2566. Whoso es ferd i rede he fle.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 13842. The … kyng [was] of his lyf feerd.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., 550. So miche the more waar and ferd forto trespace.
c. 1450. Lonelich, Grail, lv. 450.
| The swerd, | |
| Of whiche many men was aftyr ferd. |
a. 1400[?]. Chester Pl. (1847), II. 91.
| Wytte me wantes withouten were, | |
| For fearder I never was. |
1534. More, On the Passion, Wks. 1322/1. That passyon … of which he was so ferd.
1578. Ps. cxxviii. in The Gude and Godlie Ballates (1868), 113.
| Of thy hand labour thow sall eit, be not feird, | |
| And fair weill thow sall euerie day. |
a. 1605. Polwart, Flyting w. Montgomerie, 788.
| Feard flyar, loud lyar, gooked gleyar on the gallows! | |
| Iock Blunt, deid runt! I sall dunt whill I slay thee. |
1650. Baxter, Saints’ R., III. xiii. (1662), 506. Engagements to sin grow stronger and more numerous: Conscience grows feared: the heart grow hardened.
1698. Lister, in Phil. Trans., XX. 247. They … would have cropen away in a feared manner.
1715. Wodrow, Corr. (1843), II. 67. A few such feared fools, as I am reckoned hereabout.
1812. H. & J. Smith, Rej. Addr., ix. (1873), 84. What are they fear’d on?
1816. Scott, Antiq., xxxix. ‘I’m maist fear’d to speak to him.’
1828. Hood, Lamia, iii. 40.
| Jove! I was feared, | |
| I had not flesh enough to hold me down | |
| From mounting up to the moon. |
1869. C. Gibbon, Robin Gray, I. iii. 40. ‘You’ll no be feart to sail on a Friday?’
1891. E. Arnold, Lt. of World, 82.
| She answered: ‘That which hindered was thyself | |
| More feared of Cæsar, than of wrongfulness.’ |
† 2. Apprehensive, having an uneasy foreboding. Chiefly with clause introduced by lest or that; rarely const. to with inf. Obs. exc. dial.
1440. Plumpton Corr., 155. He is feard lest they wyll not appeare without a suppena.
c. 1450. Merlin, 27. He was ferde to lese his londe.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst. (Surtees), 116. I am fulle fard that we tary to lang.
a. 1535. More, Sargeant & Frere, 233, in Hazl., E. P. P., III. 127.
| Yet was this man well fearder than, | |
| lest he the frier had slaine. |
1884. J. Purves, Moles and Mole Catching, in Good Words, XXV. Nov., 767/1. ‘Wives are feared a man gets another sweetheart in six months’ time away fra’ hame. I’ll no say they’re jealous-minded, but they dinna like their man to be long away. Faigs, no, man; wives are curious creatures.’
3. In senses of FEAR v. 5 and 7: Regarded with fear; anticipated or suspected with uneasiness; † apprehensively supposed to be such.
1599. E. Sandys, Europæ Speculum (1632), 73. Romane Policies arraigned against their professed and feared Enemies.
a. 1618. Raleigh, Prerog. Parl., Ep. Ded. (1628), 2. The fear’d continuance of the like abuse may perswade the prouision.
1663. J. Spencer, Prodigies (1665), 83. Devout addresses to divert a feared, or appease a felt displeasure of the Deity.
1719. Wodrow Corr. (1843), II. 451. The feared stand the success of the gospel is at.
1762. Falconer, Shipwr., II. 380.
| Long pondering in their minds each fear’d event, | |
| At last to furl the Courses they consent. |
1890. Daily News, 8 Sept., 6/7. Feared loss of a Liverpool ship.
Hence † Fearedly adv., fearfully, timidly.
c. 1470. Henry the Minstrel, Wallace, VII. 255. Ferdly scho ast, ‘Allace! quhar is Wallace?’
