Origin of scare
1150–1200; (v.) Middle English
skerren < Old Norse
skirra to frighten, derivative of
skjarr timid, shy; (noun) late Middle English
skere, derivative of the v.
OTHER WORDS FROM scare
scar·er, noun scar·ing·ly, adverb un·scared, adjectiveWords nearby scare
British Dictionary definitions for scare up
scare
/ (skɛə) /
verb
to fill or be filled with fear or alarm
(tr; often foll by away or off)
to drive (away) by frightening
(tr) US and Canadian informal (foll by up)
- to produce (a meal) quickly from whatever is available
- to manage to find (something) quickly or with difficultybrewers need to scare up more sales
noun
a sudden attack of fear or alarm
a period of general fear or alarm
adjective
causing (needless) fear or alarm
a scare story
Derived forms of scare
scarer, nounWord Origin for scare
C12: from Old Norse
skirra; related to Norwegian
skjerra, Swedish dialect
skjarra
Idioms and Phrases with scare up (1 of 2)
scare up
Also, scrape together or up. Assemble or produce with considerable effort, as in We managed to scare up extra chairs for the unexpectedly large audience, or He managed to scrape together enough cash to buy two more tickets. The first term alludes to scare in the sense of “flush game out of cover” and dates from the mid-1800s; the variant, alluding to scratching or clawing for something, was first recorded in 1549. Also see scrape up an acquaintance.
Idioms and Phrases with scare up (2 of 2)
scare