affright

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈfɹaɪt/

• Audio (Southern England)

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Etymology 1

From Middle English afrighten, from Old English āfyrhtan, equivalent to a- +‎ fright.

Noun

affright (countable and uncountable, plural affrights)

1. (archaic) Great fear, terror, fright.
   • 1854, The Mysteries of a Convent, page 107:

     No one for a moment dreamed of the possible occurrence of any thing in the course of a few hours which would fill every mind with horror, and cause even the dark-hearted Martina to tremble with affright.

   • 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Night 563:

     […] Then behold, there came up to us a huge fish, as big as a tall mountain, at whose sight we became wild for affright and, weeping sore, made ready for death, marvelling at its vast size and gruesome semblance; when lo! a second fish made its appearance than which we had seen naught more monstrous.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:fear

Verb

affright (third-person singular simple present affrights, present participle affrighting, simple past and past participle affrighted)

1. (archaic, transitive) To inspire fright in; to frighten, to terrify.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:frighten

   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene vi], page 100, column 1:

     VVith ſcoffs and ſcornes, and contumelious taunts, / In open Market-place produc't they me, / To be a publique ſpectacle to all: / Here, ſayd they, is the Terror of the French, / The Scar-Crovv that affrights our Children ſo.

   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:

     Let not our babbling dreams affright our souls

   • 1629, John Milton, “On the Morning of Christs Nativity”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC:

     A drear and dying sound / Affrights the flamens at their service quaint.

   • 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London, New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

     "Hence, ladies and gentlemen," he added, "that frightful brood of saurians which still affright our eyes when seen in the Wealden or in the Solenhofen slates, but which were fortunately extinct long before the first appearance of mankind upon this planet."

Derived terms

• affrighter
• affrightingly
• affrightment

 

Etymology 2

From Middle English afright, from Old English āfyrht (“terrified; afraid”), past participle of āfyrhtan (“to terrify; make afraid”).

Alternative forms

• afright

Adjective

affright (comparative more affright, superlative most affright)

1. afraid; terrified; frightened
   • 1641, The Whole Booke of Psalmes:

     So that thou shalt not need I say, to feare or be affright, of all the shafts that Hie by day, nor terrours of the night.

   • 1856, Mrs. S. C. Hall, Popular tales and sketches, page 29:

     “Do not be afright,” he continued, after a pause; “do not be afright, my dear young ladies, I am quite harmless—a harmless old man—I would not shed a pigeon's blood.