English
aghast
Aghast comes from Middle English agasten ‘to terrify’, from Proto-West Germanic *uʀ- ‘up, out, over’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *úd.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*úd‘up, out’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ud-s-‘up, out’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*uz-‘up, out’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*uʀ-‘up, out, over’reconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500agasten‘to terrify’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500agastpast participle of agasten
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588aghast
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*úd‘up, out’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ud-s-‘up, out’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*uz-‘up, out’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*uʀ-‘up, out, over’reconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500agasten‘to terrify’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500agastpast participle of agasten
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588aghast
Earliest quotation: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “Betraide by fortune and ſuſpitious loue, Threatned with frowning…”
The story
From Middle English agast, agasted, past participle of agasten (‘to terrify’), from Old English a- (compare with Gothic 𐌿𐍃- (us-), German er-, originally meaning "out") + gæstan (‘to terrify, torment’): compare Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (usgaisjan, “to terrify”, literally “to fix, to root to the spot with terror”); akin to Latin haerere (‘to stick fast, cling’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *úd ‘up, out’
about, out, utter, outward, uterus, uterine, hubris, hysteresis, 8 more
through Proto-Germanic *uz- ‘up, out’
through Proto-West Germanic *uʀ- ‘up, out, over’
Today it means
adj Terrified; struck with amazement; showing signs of terror or horror.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *úd / aghast