panic
/ˈpeə̯nɪk/
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.26 in modern English
Meaning
adj
Of fear, fright, etc: overwhelming or sudden.
adj
Pertaining to or resulting from overwhelming fear or fright.
noun
Overwhelming fear or fright, often affecting groups of people or animals; (countable) an instance of this; a fright, a scare.
Uncountable
noun
Ellipsis of kernel panic (“on Unix-derived operating systems: an action taken by the operating system when it cannot recover from a fatal error”); (by extension) any computer system crash.
Countable
noun
A rapid reduction in asset prices due to broad efforts to raise cash in anticipation of such prices continuing to decline.
Countable
noun
A highly amusing or entertaining performer, performance, or show; a riot, a scream.
American usage; Colloquial; Countable
Example Sentences
- "All things were there in a diſordered confuſion, and in a confuſed furie, vntill ſuch time as by prayers and ſacrifices they had appeaſed the wrath of their Gods. They call it to this day, the P[a]nike terror."
- "So long as Epaminondas was captaine general of the Thebans, there was never ſeene in his campe any of theſe ſudden fooliſh frights, without any certeine cauſe, which they call Panique Terrores."
- "But why dwell I ſo intolerable long about Tolerations, I hope my feares are but panick, againſt which I have a double cordiall."
- "[L]ike a couragious Captain does all he can to imbody his Army; he perſwades, threats, oppoſes, and cries aloud, that albeit Bickermanſe was ſlain yet He was living; yea that many as good Officers as Bickermanſe were in the Army; But in vain; for ſuch was their diſorder and pannick fear, that impoſſible it was to revoke them: […]"
- "Suſpicion, with Sedition join'd, are near; And Rumors rais'd, and Murmurs mix'd, and Panique Fear."
- "At that moment a flight of birds passed close overhead, and at the whirr of their wings a panic fear seized her."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpeə̯nɪk/