frighten
Meaning
to make someone feel fear
to become afraid
Structure
Usage
the loud noise outside the window did frighten the cat.
children should not be frightened by ghost stories before bedtime.
she frightens easily when she is home alone at night.
Etymology
The word "frighten" is a native English formation. Its core, "fright," descends from the Old English noun fyrhto, which itself evolved from the Proto-Germanic root furhtaz, meaning "afraid." The addition of the productive verb suffix "-en," from Old English -nian, transformed the noun into a verb, literally meaning "to make or become full of fright." This morphological pattern, creating causative or inchoative verbs from adjectives or nouns, is common in English, as seen in "strengthen" or "darken." Thus, the modern abstract meaning of causing fear is a direct and logical extension of its literal morphemic components.
Analysis
fright (from old english fyrhto, fyrhtu, meaning "fear, dread"; a noun root). en (from old english -nian, a verb-forming suffix meaning "to become or make").