Frightening
/ˈfraɪ.tən.ɪŋ/noun
Causing fear or alarm.
Did you know?Frightening traces back to a Germanic fear-root that also gave English words like fright and affright, showing how old languages treated fear as something that could physically strike a person.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*prey-
“To tremble, shake, or be afraid.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*fraihtaną
“To frighten or terrify.”
Old English
OE
fyrhtan
“To frighten, terrify.”
Middle English
ME
frighten
“To make afraid; to alarm.”
16th Century
English
frightening
“Causing fright or alarm.”
Modern English
English
frightening
“Causing fear or alarm.”