Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- sudden and extreme fear; a sudden terror.
- a person or thing of shocking, grotesque, or ridiculous appearance.
verb (used with object)
- to frighten.
noun
- sudden intense fear or alarm
- a sudden alarming shock
- informal a horrifying, grotesque, or ludicrous person or thingshe looks a fright in that hat
- take fright to become frightened
verb
- a poetic word for frighten
Old English (Northumbrian) fryhto, metathesis of fyrhtu “fear, dread, trembling, horrible sight,” from Proto-Germanic *furkhtaz “afraid” (cf. Old Saxon forhta, Old Frisian fruchte, Old High German forhta, German Furcht, Gothic faurhtei “fear”). Not etymologically related to the word fear, which superseded it 13c. as the principal word except in cases of sudden terror. For spelling evolution, see fight.