metuere

Metuere is the Latin infinitive form of the verb metuo, meaning to fear or to be afraid. It is used to express fear about a person, thing, or event, and can govern a direct object or accompany clauses introduced by ne or ut to indicate apprehension about an event or action. In Latin prose and poetry, metuo and its infinitive appear in contexts ranging from ordinary fear to cautionary or predictive statements.

Etymology and classification: Metuere derives from the same root as the noun metus, meaning fear or dread. The pair metuo (to fear) and metuere (to fear) represents a small, closely related semantic family within Latin verbs. The infinitive metuere is the standard present active infinitive form associated with the verb metuo, which is used with various tenses to express ongoing or future fear.

Usage notes: Metuo can take a direct object in the accusative, for example, metuo mortem (I fear death). It also occurs with ne or ut clauses to express feared outcomes, as in metuo ne veniat (I fear that he may come) or metuo ut hoc non fiat (I fear that this may not happen). The distinction between metuo and timeo is subtle and varies by author; both mean “to fear,” but metuo is often associated with apprehension about potential events, while timeo more frequently conveys fear of danger or harm.

Derivatives: The noun metus (fear, dread) and the adjective meticulosus (fearful, timid) are built from the same root.

See also: Timeo; Metus; Latin verbs with subordinate clause fear constructions.