Archaic or dialectal word meaning frightened, dismayed, or astonished.
From Old English 'agast,' derived from 'gast' (to frighten) with the prefix 'a-' intensifying the meaning. Related to German 'Gast' and Old Norse roots.
Shakespeare's audiences would recognize 'agast'—it was the Elizabethan way to say 'shocked' or 'terrified,' and you can hear it echo in modern 'aghast,' which is the same word that just evolved over centuries.
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