fright

Meanings

Noun

  • A state of terror excited by the sudden appearance of danger; sudden and violent fear, usually of short duration; a sudden alarm.
  • Anything strange, ugly or shocking, producing a feeling of alarm or aversion.

Verb

Adjective

Origin

  • From Middle English fright, furht, from Old English fryhtu, fyrhto, from Proto-Germanic *furhtį̄ ("fear"), from Proto-Indo-European *pr̥k- ("to fear").
  • Cognate with Scots fricht ("fright"), Old Frisian fruchte ("fright"), Low German frucht ("fright"), Middle Dutch vrucht, German Furcht ("fear, fright"), Danish frygt ("fear"), Swedish fruktan ("fear, fright, dread"), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌷𐍄𐌴𐌹 ("fear, horror, fright"). Compare possibly Albanian frikë ("fear, fright, dread, danger").
  • Probably short for affright, from Middle English afright, from Old English āfyrht, past participle of āfyrhtan.

Modern English dictionary

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