Word for Wednesday: Aghast 

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With one more day until Halloween, how could we resist choosing a scary Word for Wednesday?  Today the word aghast might be used to describe someone who is struck with fear or dread. 

Here is the word used in some example sentences: 

  • He was aghast when he heard the news. 
  • The public were aghast to read about the horrific treatment of prisoners in the journalist’s exposé. 

Around 1300, the word 'agast’, meaning 'terrified' or 'suddenly filled with frightened amazement' started being used in English. It came from the Old English ‘gæsten’ meaning 'to terrify' from ‘gæst’ meaning ghost. 

While today the word is more commonly used to describe shock and outrage, it’s original meaning would have been something like ‘terrified by a ghost'. Spooky, right? 
 


30 Oct 2019
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