dismay

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or fear; to deprive of energy.

   Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed.

2. 2
   verb

   To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet.

   Do not dismay yourself for this.

3. 3
   verb

   To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay.

   Dismay not, princes, at this accident,

4. 4
   noun

   A sudden or complete loss of courage and firmness in the face of trouble or danger; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits

   He looked in dismay at the destruction of the town caused by the hurricane.

5. 5
   noun

   fear resulting from the awareness of danger

6. 6
   noun

   the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles

7. 7
   verb

   fill with apprehension or alarm

8. 8
   verb

   lower someone's spirits

Etymology

From Middle English dismayen, from Anglo-Norman *desmaiier, alteration of Old French esmaier (“to frighten”), probably from Vulgar Latin *exmagare (“to deprive (someone) of strength, to disable”), from ex- + *magare (“to enable, empower”), from Proto-Germanic *maginą, *maganą (“might, power”), from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- (“to be able”). Akin to Old High German magan, megin (“power, might, main”), Old English mæġen (“might, main”), Old High German magan, mugan (“to be powerful, able”), Old English magan (“to be able”). Cognate with Portuguese desmaiar (“to faint”) and Spanish esmayar. See a…