Befurchtet

Befurchtet is an archaic or historical spelling of the German verb befürchten, meaning to fear or to dread that something will occur. The form is primarily attested in Early Modern German and in older medieval-to-renewed German texts. In contemporary standard German, befurchtet is no longer used, having been superseded by befürchten and its past participle befürchtet.

Etymology and form: The verb befürchten is built from the prefix be- combined with the root Furcht (fear). Historical orthography shows variants such as befurchtet, reflecting older conventions for writing the ü vowel and accompanying consonants. The appearance of befurchtet in sources helps linguists trace the development of German verb morphology and spelling practices.

Usage and context: Befurchtet occurs primarily in historical documents, literature, and linguistic references rather than in modern texts. It is encountered as part of older grammatical and orthographic forms that have since standardised to the modern befürchten. When translating or editing older works, befürchten is typically used in place of befurchtet to reflect current language norms.

Relation to modern German: The standard modern form is befürchten, with the past participle befürchtet. The historical variant befurchtet provides insight into earlier phonology and orthography but is not part of contemporary usage.

See also: Befürchten; Furcht (fear); German orthography; Old High German; Early New High German.

Note: As with many archaic spellings, befurchtet is of interest mainly to philologists, lexicographers, and readers studying historical German texts.