Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FEAR, n. [See the Verb.]

1. A painful emotion or passion excited by an expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger. Fear expresses less apprehension than dread, and dread less than terror and fright. The force of this passion, beginning with the most moderate degree, may be thus expressed, fear, dread, terror, fright. Fear is accompanied with a desire to avoid or ward off the expected evil. Fear is an uneasiness of mind, upon the thought of future evil likely to befall us. Watts. Fear is the passion of our nature which excites us to provide for our security, on the approach of evil. Rogers.
2. Anxiety; solicitude. The principal fear was for the holy temple. Maccabees.
3. The cause of fear. Thy angel becomes a fear. Shak.
4. The object of fear. Except the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me. Gen. xxxi.
5. Something set or hung up to terrify wild animals, by its color or noise. Is. xxiv. Jer. xlviii.
6. In Scripture, fear is used to express a filial, or a slavish passion. In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience. This is filial fear. I will put my fear in their hearts. Jer. xxxii. Slavish fear is the effect or consequence of guilt; it is the painful apprehension of merited punishment. Rom. viii. The love of God casteth out fear. I John iv.
7. The worship of God. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Ps. xxxiv.
8. The law and word of God. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. Ps. xix.
9. Reverence; respect; due regard. Render to all their dues; fear to whom fear. Rom. xiii.