panic

CEFRB1

/ˈpænɪk/

noun · verb · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A sudden strong feeling of fear that makes clear thinking difficult.

  2. 02

    verb

    To feel sudden extreme fear.

Examples

  • The fire caused a panic in the theater.

  • Relax, and above all, don't panic.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
3
Citations
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈpʰeə̯nɪk] ~ /ˈpɛə̯nɪk/
  • /ˈpeə̯nɪk/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Of fear, fright, etc: overwhelming or sudden.

  2. Pertaining to or resulting from overwhelming fear or fright.

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Alternative letter-case form of Panic (“pertaining to the Greek god Pan”).

More examples

In context

  • So long as Epaminondas was captaine general of the Thebans, there was never ſeene in his campe any of theſe ſudden fooliſh frights, without any certeine cauſe, which they call Panique Terrores.

  • All things were there in a diſordered confuſion, and in a confuſed furie, vntill ſuch time as by prayers and ſacrifices they had appeaſed the wrath of their Gods. They call it to this day, the P[a]nike terror.

  • No Dangers threatned, but they ſmil'd to meet The pannick French-men trembling at their Feet.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

A sudden fear caused the terrified crowd to feel blank and run in all directions.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

The adjective is borrowed from Middle French panique, a word itself borrowed from Ancient Greek πανικός (panikós, “pertaining to Pan”); Pan, the Greek god of fields and woods, was believed to be the source of mysterious sounds that caused contagious, groundless fear in herds and crowds, or in people in lonely spots. Adjective sense 3 (“pertaining to or resulting from overpowering fear or fright”) is partly an attributive use of the noun. The noun is derived from the adjective, while the verb is derived from the noun. Verb sense 1.3 (“to highly amuse, entertain, or impress (an audience watching a performance or show”) is derived from noun sense 4 (“a highly amusing or entertaining performer,...