Dismay
/dɪsˈmeɪ/noun
A sudden feeling of alarm, distress, or discouragement.
Did you know?In Middle English, *dismayen* meant to frighten, weaken, or literally put someone out of their courage, and it was influenced by Old French *esmaier*, so the modern word still carries the ghost of emotional collapse.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mag-
“to be able, have power”
Old French
OF
esmaier
“to frighten, trouble, or disconcert”
Middle English
ME
dismayen
“to frighten thoroughly; to deprive of courage”
14th–15th Century
English
dismay
“terror, discouragement, or loss of spirit”
Modern English
English
dismay
“a sudden feeling of alarm, distress, or discouragement”