to durst
2
9.9
An old past form of dare that means being brave enough to do something
- verb
- /dɜrst/
- Archaic
:
osó
- Despite her fear, she durst take the leap from the cliff into the water below.
Examples
-
I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest, lay down my soul at stake.
-
In that moment of crisis, he durst speak the truth, even though it was dangerous.
-
She durst approach the ferocious dog, knowing it was the only way to help the trapped cat.
Synonyms
to dare
vsto durst
976
1.1
To be brave enough to do something risky or not allowed
is the archaic past form referring to a completed act of courage
Surface Forms
Etymology
Durst is an old past form of dare, coming from older English forms like dorste, and it meant 'dared' or 'had the courage to'. So when you read 'she durst not', it simply means she 'did not dare' to do something.