Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DARE, v.i. [pret. durst. Sax. dearran, durran; D. darren, durven; G. dürfen; Sw. dierf, bold; dierfvas, to dare, and töras, to dare; Dan. tör, to dare, and tör, dry, torrid; L. torreo; Dan. törhed, dryness, barrenness; törstig, thirsty. The German dürfen, compounded, bedürfen, signifies to want, to need, to lack, and this in Dutch is derven. The Sw. dåre, rash, mad, sottish, dåra, to infatuate, Dan. daarer, may be of the same family. The Gr. θαρῤεω, and Russ. derzayu, to dare, are evidently the same word. ذَأَرَ dhaura, to be bold, audacious; to be angry, or averse; to be terrified, to flee. So in Sw. darra, to tremble. The sense of boldness, daring, is sometimes from the sense of advancing; but some of the senses of these words indicate the sense of receding.]

To have courage for any purpose; to have strength of mind or hardihood to undertake any thing; to be bold enough; not to be afraid; to venture; to be adventurous. I dare do all that may become a man. – Shak. Dare any of you go to law before the unjust? – 1 Cor. vi. None of his disciples durst ask him, who are thou. – John xxi. In this intransitive sense, dare is not generally followed by the sign to before another verb in the infinitive; though to may be used with propriety. In German, the verb is numbered among the auxiliaries. In the transitive form, it is regular: thus,