## Meanings
1. A sudden strong feeling of fear that stops you thinking clearly.
2. To suddenly feel so afraid that you cannot think or act sensibly.
3. To make someone suddenly feel great fear.

## Examples
- There was panic in the crowd when the fire alarm rang.
- The students panicked when they heard the exam was tomorrow.
- The loud bang panicked the horses.

## Derived Forms
- antipanic
- panic-bought
- panic-buy
- panic-buyer
- panic-sell
- panic-stricken
- panic-strike
- panic-struck
- panical
- panican
- panicful
- panicgrass

## Related Forms
- panicum

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *peh₂-
- Root: panik
- Root: pānicum
- Root: *(s)penh₁-

## Etymology
From Late Middle English panik, panyk (“plant of the genus Panicum”), borrowed from Latin pānicum, pānīcum (“foxtail millet or Italian millet (Setaria italica); plant of the genus Panicum, panicgrass”); further etymology uncertain, probably either from pānis (“bread; loaf”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to graze; to protect; to shepherd”)) or pānus (“ear of millet; thread wound on a bobbin”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁- (“to twist; to weave”)) + -cum (suffix forming neuter nouns). Doublet of bannock and bonnag

## AI Etymology
Panic comes from Late Middle English panik, panyk (“plant of the genus Panicum”), borrowed from Latin pānicum, pānīcum (“foxtail millet or Italian millet (Setaria italica); plant of the genus Panicum, panicgrass”); further etymology uncertain, probably either from pānis (“bread; loaf”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to graze; to protect; to shepherd”)) or pānus (“ear of millet; thread wound on a bobbin”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁- (“to twist; to weave”)) + -cum (suffix forming neuter nouns). Doublet of bannock and bonnag. Modern senses include a sudden strong feeling of fear that stops you thinking clearly and to suddenly feel so afraid that you cannot think or act sensibly. The wider word family includes derivatives such as antipanic, panic-bought, panic-buy, panic-buyer, panic-sell, and panic-stricken and related forms such as panicum.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings
- Actions & Processes

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