Definition of scare

The word "scare" has its roots in Old Norse and Old English. In Old Norse, the word "sker" meant "to shun" or "to flee from", and in Old English, the word "sceran" meant "to frighten" or "to terrify". Over time, the spelling and meaning of the word evolved into the modern English word "scare", which means to cause fear or alarm in someone. The verb "scare" has been in use since the 14th century, and is often used in the phrase "to scare someone" or "to scare something", meaning to frighten or intimidate someone or something. The word "scare" is also related to other English words such as "sharpen" and "share", which all come from the same Old Norse and Old English roots.