I. ˈfrīt, usu -īd.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English fyrhto, fryhto fear, fright; akin to Old English forht afraid, fearful, Old Frisian fruchte fear, Old Saxon & Old High German forht, foraht afraid, forhta fear, Gothic fauhrts afraid, fauhrtei fear, and perhaps to Tocharian A pärsk-, prask- to fear, praski fear, Tocharian B pärsk-, prāsk- to fear, prosko, proskye fear
1.
a. : terror excited by sudden danger : sudden and violent fear usually of short duration : alarm
familiarity rubbed away the fright at the strangeness and dissipated the prejudice born of ignorance — Oscar Handlin
b. : an instance of such terror, fear, or alarm
the sudden apparition gave him a fright
c. : fear
incessant fright of the future — Oscar Handlin
2. : something strange, ugly, unsightly, or shocking
he was a bundle of rags, his hair had grown prodigiously, his beard was a fright — I.L.Idriess
Synonyms: see fear
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English frighten, from Old English fyrhtan, fryhtan; akin to Old English forhtian to fear, Old Frisian fruchtia, Old Saxon forhtian, Old High German furhten, forhten, Gothic faurhtjan to fear, Old English fyrhto, fryhto, n.
: to alarm suddenly : scare , frighten
are not easily frighted by politics — Kiplinger Washington Letter
Synonyms: see frighten