Angst
/ɑːŋst/noun
A feeling of deep anxiety, dread, or existential unease.
Did you know?Angst entered English through German, where it meant anxiety or fear, but its older Indo-European relatives also gave us words for tightness and pressure—like fear itself can be felt in the body.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*angh-
“to constrict, cause pain, squeeze”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*angustiz
“narrowness, distress”
Old High German
OHG
angust
“oppression, anxiety”
German
DE
Angst
“fear, anxiety”
19th Century
English
angst
“a German loanword for anxiety or dread”
Modern English
English
angst
“a feeling of deep anxiety or existential unease”