WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Ter"ror
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [L. terror, akin to terrere to frighten, for tersere; akin to Gr. tras to tremble, to be afraid, Russ. triasti to shake: cf. F. terreur. Cf. Deter.]
Definition : 1. Extreme fear; fear that agitates body and mind; violent dread; fright. Terror seized the rebel host. Milton.

2. That which excites dread; a cause of extreme fear. Those enormous terrors of the Nile. Prior. Rulers are not a terror to good works. Rom. xiii. 3. There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats. Shak.

Note: Terror is used in the formation of compounds which are generally self-explaining: as, terror-fraught, terror-giving, terror- smitten, terror-stricken, terror-struck, and the like. King of terrors, death. Job xviii. 14. -- Reign of Terror. (F. Hist.) See in Dictionary of Noted Names in Fiction.

Syn. -- Alarm; fright; consternation; dread; dismay. See Alarm.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913