In Latin grammar, a verb of fearing is one that pertains to fear or concern (often timeo, terreor, metuo, and vereor). This set of verbs is grammatically notable because it inverts the sense of a following purposive clause, at least relative to the intuition of speakers of many non-Latin languages.
A verb of fearing followed by a "ne" purposive clause means that the subject fears that the event will happen (but wishes that it would not). A verb of fearing followed by an "ut" purposive clause means that the subject fears that the event will not happen (but wishes that it would).
Famous quotes containing the words verb and/or fearing:
“The word is the Verb, and the Verb is God.”
—Victor Hugo (1802–1885)
“We often see malefactors, when they are led to execution, put on resolution and a contempt of death which, in truth, is nothing else but fearing to look it in the face—so that this pretended bravery may very truly be said to do the same good office to their mind that the blindfold does to their eyes.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)