Added 9 October 2026
terror
/ˈtɛɹɚ/ noun
In Latin: terror Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about terror at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety.
-
A person who inspires fear or dread.
he was the terror of the neighborhood
- A very troublesome child.
Origin
From late Middle English terrour, from Old French terreur f (“terror, fear, dread”), from Latin terror (“fright, fear, terror”), from terrēre (“to frighten, terrify”), from Old Latin tr̥reō, from Proto-Italic *trozeō, from Proto-Indo-European *tre- (“to shake”), *tres- (“to tremble”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)