dread

• enPR: drĕd, IPA^(key): /dɹɛd/

• Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -ɛd

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”).

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.

   • , Anna Sewell, “Earlshall”, in Black Beauty: , London: Jarrold and Sons, , →OCLC, part II, page 105:

     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, Deuteronomy 1:29:

     Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

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

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

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.

   • 1671, John Tillotson, “Sermon IV. The Advantages of Religion to Particular Persons. Psalm XIX. 11.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: , 8th edition, London: T. Goodwin, B Tooke, and J. Pemberton, ; J. Round , and J Tonson] , published 1720, →OCLC:

     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 Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     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, 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, 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 Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     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:

     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:

     The mightie ones, affrayd of every chaunges dread

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

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

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:

     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:

     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
• dreadness

• dreadlocks
• dreadnought

• adder, dared, radde, re-add, readd

• dreads

dread m (plural dreads)

1. Clipping of dreadlock.