Causes sudden fear or shock; or multiple instances of sudden terror or fright.
From Old English 'afyrht' (terrified) + 'frighten'. The prefix 'a-' intensifies the verb 'fright', which comes from Middle English 'fright' meaning terror. The meaning has remained consistent—to scare badly—since medieval times.
The word 'affright' fell out of everyday use, which is fascinating because Shakespeare loved it—it appears in Hamlet and other plays. Now it sounds so formal and archaic that using it actually does affright modern speakers!
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