Panic
WordNet
noun
(1) An overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
(2) Sudden mass fear and anxiety over anticipated events
"Panic in the stock market"
"A war scare"
"A bomb scare led them to evacuate the building"
verb
(3) Cause sudden fear in or fill with sudden panic
"The mere thought of an isolation cell panicked the prisoners"
(4) Be overcome by a sudden fear
"The students panicked when told that final exams were less than a week away"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From , from . Pan is the god of woods and fields who was the source of mysterious sounds that caused contagious, groundless fear in herds and crowds, or in people in lonely spots.
Adjective
- Pertaining to the god Pan.
- Of fear, fright etc: sudden or overwhelming (attributed by the ancient Greeks to the influence of Pan).
- 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, Folio Society 2006, vol. 1 pp. 57-8:
- All things were there in a disordered confusion, and in a confused furie, untill such time as by praiers and sacrifices they had appeased the wrath of their Gods. They call it to this day, the Panike terror.
- 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, Folio Society 2006, vol. 1 pp. 57-8:
Noun
- Overpowering fright, often affecting groups of people or animals.
- Rapid reduction in asset prices due to broad efforts to raise cash in anticipation of continuing decline in asset prices.