aghast

From Middle English agast, agasted, past participle of agasten (“to terrify”), from Old English prefix a- (compare with Gothic 𐌿𐍃- (us-), German er-, originally meaning "out") + gæstan (“to terrify, torment”): compare Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (usgaisjan, “to terrify”, literally “to fix, to root to the spot with terror”); akin to Latin haerere (“to stick fast, cling”). See gaze, hesitate.

• IPA^(key): /əˈɡæst/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈɡɑːst/

  Rhymes: -æst, -ɑːst

aghast (comparative more aghast, superlative most aghast)

1. Terrified; struck with amazement; showing signs of terror or horror.
   • 1902, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.

     And while the revellers stood aghast at the fury of the man, one more wicked or, it may be, more drunken than the rest, cried out that they should put the hounds upon her.

   • 1985, Les Misérables, the song "Red and Black"

     I am agog! I am aghast! Is Marius in love at last?

   • 2013, Daniel Taylor, Rickie Lambert's debut goal gives England victory over Scotland (in The Guardian, 14 August 2013)

     Hart, for one, will not remember the night for Lambert's heroics. Morrison, not closed down quickly enough, struck his shot well but England's No1 will be aghast at the way it struck his gloves then skidded off his knees and into the net.

• Gathas, HA-tags, gatahs, gathas