An archaic word meaning to frighten or terrify someone suddenly.
From Middle English 'gasten,' derived from Old English 'gæstan' meaning to terrify. Related to 'aghast' (a + gast), which preserved the meaning even as 'gast' alone fell out of common use.
The word 'aghast' is actually still alive and well today, but it's really just 'a-' (meaning 'on') plus the dead word 'gast'—so every time someone says 'I was aghast,' they're using a 1,000-year-old verb without realizing it!
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