befurchten

Befurchten is an archaic German verb meaning to fear in advance or to dread that a future event will occur. It is formed with the prefix be- attached to the verb furchten, the root behind the noun Furcht (fear). In modern standard German, the more common and current verb with the same general sense is befürchten; befurchten is largely obsolete and is encountered primarily in historical texts, linguistic studies, or discussions of older language usage.

Etymology and form

The word derives from furchten, an older form related to the noun Furcht. The addition of the prefix be- mirrors a common productive pattern in German for intensifying or generalizing the meaning of the base verb. Befurchten appears in Early New High German and in documentary sources that preserve older orthography and syntax. The phonetic or orthographic evolution that produced modern befürchten involved vowel changes such as umlaut, a development that distinguishes befurchten from its contemporary successor.

Usage and register

Befurchten conveys anticipatory fear about a possible future development and often carries a formal, solemn, or archaic tone. It is rarely used in contemporary prose or speech; when encountered, it typically appears in historical narratives, religious or legal texts, or linguistic discussions about older German. In modern usage, befuerchten or befürchten are preferred to express the same or a closely related sense.

See also

Furcht, Be- prefix in German word formation, Befürchten, Early New High German.

References

The term is documented in historical German dictionaries and corpora that cover Early New High German, and it is discussed in studies of German verb formation and orthographic history.