Etymograph

English

scareware

Scareware comes from Proto-Germanic *warō ‘a good, merchandise, ware’.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*warō‘a good, merchandise, ware’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*warureconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150waru
  4. English1500–presentsoftware
  5. Englishtodayscareware

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*warō‘a good, merchandise, ware’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*warureconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150waru
  4. English1500–presentsoftware
  5. Englishtodayscareware

A compound of scare + -ware

Middle English skerren ‘to frighten’

Middle English sker ‘terror, fright’

English scare

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to heed, watch, guard, protect’

wear, guard, con, garage, regard, ward, worm, verge, optic, weir, warn, garrison, panorama, reverence, vermin, wry, revere, beware, vermilion, prosaic, diorama, guaranty, milliner, vermicelli, vermeil, vermiculite, varmint, 64 more

through English software

malware, firmware, freeware, shareware, 20 more

Today it means

noun Software that attempts to scare the user into compliance, as by displaying false warnings of virus infection.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *warō / scareware

Shirt and support for this word