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dismay

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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 also Portuguese esmagar, Spanish amagar. More at main, may.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /dɪsˈmeɪ/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪ

Verb

dismay (third-person singular simple present dismays, present participle dismaying, simple past and past participle dismayed)

  1. To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or fear; to deprive of energy
    Synonyms: daunt, appall, terrify
  2. To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet.
  3. To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay.

Translations

Noun

dismay (uncountable)

  1. 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
    Synonym: consternation
    He looked in dismay at the destruction of the town caused by the hurricane.
    • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
      Come on: in this there can be no dismay;
      My ships come home a month before the day.
    • 2020 April 12, Simon Tisdall, “US's global reputation hits rock-bottom over Trump's coronavirus response”, in The Guardian‎:
      US reputational damage is not confined to Europe. There was dismay among the G7 countries that a joint statement on tackling the pandemic could not be agreed because Trump insisted on calling it the “Wuhan virus” – his crude way of pinning sole blame on China.
  2. Condition fitted to dismay; ruin.

Translations

Derived terms

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