■ verb
1》 cause great fear or nervousness in; frighten.
↘( ~ someone away/off ) drive or keep someone away by frightening them.
↘become ~d.
2》 ( ~ something up ) informal, chiefly N. Amer. find or obtain something.
■ noun a sudden attack of fright.
↘a period of general anxiety or alarm about something: a bomb ~.
Derivatives
~d adjective
~r noun
Origin
ME: from ON skirra 'frighten', from skjarr 'timid'.