affright

noun

1. (archaic, countable, uncountable)Great fear, terror, fright.

   “No one for a moment dreamed of the possible occurrence of any thing in the course of a few hours which would fill every mind with horror, and cause even the dark-hearted Martina to tremble with affright.”

   “[…]Then behold, there came up to us a huge fish, as big as a tall mountain, at whose sight we became wild for affright and, weeping sore, made ready for death, marvelling at its vast size and gruesome semblance; when lo! a second fish made its appearance than which we had seen naught more monstrous.”

verb

1. (archaic, transitive)To inspire fright in; to frighten, to terrify.

   “VVith ſcoffes and ſcornes, and contumelious taunts, / In open Market-place produc't they me, / To be a publique ſpectacle to all: / Here, ſayd they, is the Terror of the French, / The Scar-Crovv that affrights our Children ſo.”

   “Let not our babbling dreams affright our souls”

   “A drear and dying sound / Affrights the flamens at their service quaint.”

   “"Hence, ladies and gentlemen," he added, "that frightful brood of saurians which still affright our eyes when seen in the Wealden or in the Solenhofen slates, but which were fortunately extinct long before the first appearance of mankind upon this planet."”

adj

1. afraid; terrified; frightened

   “So that thou shalt not need I say, to feare or be affright, of all the shafts that Hie by day, nor terrours of the night.”

   ““Do not be afright,” he continued, after a pause; “do not be afright, my dear young ladies, I am quite harmless—a harmless old man—I would not shed a pigeon's blood.”