Anxiety
/æŋˈzaɪ.ɪ.ti/noun
A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.
Did you know?The Latin root 'anxietas' literally means 'to choke' or 'to strangle', reflecting the suffocating nature of anxiety throughout history.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁engʷ-
“to choke, to strangle”
Latin
Latin
anxietas
“a state of being troubled or choked with fear or worry”
Old French
Old French
anxieté
“anxiety or distress; a feeling of unease”
Middle English
Middle English
anxiete
“state of worry or distress”
Modern English
English
anxiety
“a modern term for the mental state of unease or distress, derived from older forms.”
Explore more surprising origins