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Stage 1 of 3
skirra
Old Norse · medieval
"to frighten; to shrink from, avert"
meant to frighten off or avert danger
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Stage 2 of 3
skerren
Middle English · late 1100s
"to frighten someone"
borrowed into northern dialects as a verb for sudden fright
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Stage 3 of 3
scare
English · 1590s
"to frighten suddenly"
spelling altered unusually from 'sker-' to 'scar-'
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