dismay
/dɪsˈmeɪ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.26 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed."
- "What words be these? What fears do you dismay?"
- "Do not dismay yourself for this."
- "Dismay not, princes, at this accident,"
- "He looked in dismay at the destruction of the town caused by the hurricane."
- "Come on: in this there can be no dismay; My ships come home a month before the day."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: dismayen, *desmaiier, esmaier, *exmagare, *maginą, *megʰ-