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); 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”).

• enPR: drĕd, IPA^(key): /dɹɛd/

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• Rhymes: -ɛd

dread (third-person singular simple present dreads, present participle dreading, simple past and past participle dreaded)

1. (transitive) To fear greatly.
2. To anticipate with fear.

   I'm dreading getting the results of the test, as it could decide my whole life.

   • 1877, Anna Sewell, “Chapter 22”, in Black Beauty: […], London: Jarrold and Sons, […], OCLC 228733457:

     Day by day, hole by hole our bearing reins were shortened, and instead of looking forward with pleasure to having my harness put on as I used to do, I began to dread it.

3. (intransitive) To be in dread, or great fear.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Deuteronomy 1:29:

     Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

4. (transitive) To style (the hair) into dreadlocks.

• a burnt child dreads the fire, the burnt child dreads the fire
• dreadable
• dreadly
• dreadworthy

dread (countable and uncountable, plural dreads)

1. Great fear in view of impending evil; fearful apprehension of danger; anticipatory terror.

   My visit to the doctor is filling me with dread.

   • a. 1694, John Tillotson, The Advantages of Religion to particular Persons

     the secret dread of divine displeasure

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene i]:

     the dread of something after death

   • 1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, OCLC 1023879857, page 169:

     They shared a common dread that he would begin moaning.

   • 2014 April 12, Michael Inwood, “Martin Heidegger: the philosopher who fell for Hitler [print version: Hitler's philosopher]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review)‎, London, page R11:

     In 1928 [Martin] Heidegger succeeded [Edmund] Husserl to take a chair at Freiburg and in his inaugural lecture made a pronouncement that earned him a reputation as an archetypal metaphysician with his claim that our awareness of people as a whole depends on our experience of dread in the face of nothingness.

2. Reverential or respectful fear; awe.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Genesis 9:2:

     The fear of you, and the dread of you, shall be upon every beast of the earth.

   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene i]:

     His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, / The attribute to awe and majesty, / Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.

3. Somebody or something dreaded.
4. (obsolete) A person highly revered.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book)”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938:

     Una, his dear dread

5. (obsolete) Fury; dreadfulness.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938:

     The mightie ones, affrayd of every chaunges dread

6. A Rastafarian.
7. (slang, chiefly in the plural) Clipping of dreadlock.
   • 2006, Earl Stevens, Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels (lyrics), Lil Jon (music), “Tell Me When To Go”, in My Ghetto Report Card:

     Jesus Christ had dreads / So shake 'em / I ain't got none / But I'm planning on growing some.

8. (military, nautical, historical, slang) Clipping of dreadnought.

   The Royal Navy sent six dreads and four BCs to intercept the German raiding force.

dread (comparative dreader, superlative dreadest)

1. Terrible; greatly feared; dreaded.
   • 1879, Arthur Sullivan, The Pirates of Penzance, Gilbert & Sullivan:

     With cat-like tread / Upon our prey we steal / In silence dread / Our cautious way we feel

   • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, OCLC 1167497017:

     I even remember thinking that no human being would go down that dread path again.

   • 1980, Donald Fagen; Walter Becker (lyrics and music), "Glamour Profession" in Gaucho, track 3: "Jack with his radar / Stalking the dread moray eel"
2. (archaic) Awe-inspiring; held in fearful awe.
   • 1633, John Hay, editor, The Acts Made in the First Parliament of our Most High and Dread Soveraigne Charles, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britaine, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c.: Holden by Himselfe, Present in Person, with His Three Estates, at Edinburgh, upon the Twentie Eight Day of Iune, Anno Domini 1633, Edinburgh: Printed by Robert Young, printer to the Kings most excellent Maiestie, OCLC 606535094:

     The acts made in the first Parliament of our most high and dread soveraigne Charles [I], by the grace of God, King of Great Britaine, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. […] [book title]

• dreadly

• dreadlocks
• dreadnought

• adder, dared, radde, re-add, readd

• dreads

dread m (plural dreads)

1. Clipping of dreadlock.