▪ I. fright, n.
(fraɪt)
Forms: 1 fyrhto, -u (Northumb. fryhto, fyrihto), 3–4 friȝt, 5 fryȝt, frey(h)t(e, -th, 7– fright.
[OE. fryhto, a metathetic form (recorded only in Northumb.) of fyrhto, -u = Goth. faurhtei:—OTeut. *furhtîn- wk. fem., noun of state or quality from *furhto-, forhto- adj., afraid (Goth. faurhts, OS. foroht, for(a)ht, OHG. foraht, OE. forht). The other WGer. langs. have a synonymous derivative of the same root; OFris. fruchta, OS. for(a)hta (MDu. vrucht(e, vrocht), OHG. for(a)hta (MHG. vorhte, mod.Ger. furcht):—OTeut. *(furhtâ, -ôn-) forhtâ, -ôn- str. and wk. fem.]
1. † a. In OE.: Fear in general (obs.). b. In ME. and in mod. use: Sudden fear, violent terror, alarm. An instance of this. Phr. to take fright.
| c 825 Vesp. Hymns xii. 13 Ðylæs fiondes ðes efestgan facne fyrhtu stille awecce. c 1000 Ags. Ps. liv. 20 [lv. 19] Ne him Godes fyrhtu ᵹeorne ondrædað. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1234 His moder wurð neȝ dead for friȝt. c 1325 Body & Soul in Map's Poems (Camd.) 338 Ne thorte us have friȝt ne fer, that God ne wolde his blisse us sent. c 1425 Seven Sag. (P.) 948 Tho the knave hadde a fryȝt. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 177/2 Freyhte, or feer..timor, pavor, terror. 1604 Shakes. Oth. ii. iii. 232 Least by his clamour..The Towne might fall in fright. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. xxix. xii. 369 The Mazices..thus beaten down in sundry slaughters, in a foule fright, brake their arraies. 1654 Sir E. Nicholas in N. Papers (Camden) II. 96 The greate advance made into this countrye had noe other ende then by giving a generall fright. 1770 Junius Lett. xxxviii. 189 note, The minister took fright. 1791 Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest iv, In my fright..I forgot to take the roundabout way. 1837 W. Irving Capt. Bonneville III. 221 The antelopes, nearly exhausted with fatigue and fright..made no effort to break through the ring of the hunters. 1847 Tennyson Princ. vi. 351 An echo started up..and died of fright in far apartments. |
2. † Anything that causes terror (obs.). Hence (colloq.) a person or thing of a shocking, grotesque, or ridiculous appearance.
| 1634 W. Tirwhyt tr. Balzac's Lett. i. 8 Hide my selfe here with your good favour..than to beare a shew there with their frights and soure lookes. 1661 Boyle Style of Script. (1675) 27 As a skilful fowler..catches..some with frights, as black-birds with a sparrow-hawk or a low-bell. 1751 Mrs. Delany Let. to Mrs. Dewes in Life & Corr. 50 A friend..who is working a fright of a carpet! 1809 Miss Mitford in L'Estrange Life (1870) I. 76 The present race of young men are such a set of frights. 1832 E. Ind. Sketch Bk. II. 174 To be sure..the women are sad frights, very yellow, and mostly so lean. 1864 H. Ainsworth John Law iii. iii, ‘You mustn't marry that ridiculous old fright’, she whispered. |
¶ 3. ? Misused for fret n.
| 1668 in Boyle Hist. Air xv. (1692) 85 The Storm had seven Paroxysms or Exacerbations, which the Seamen call Frights of Weather. |
Add: 4. Special Comb.: fright wig orig. U.S., a theatrical wig used to express (mock) fright, usu. by means of a string pulled to make the hair stand on end; hence, any wig with the hair arranged standing up or sticking out.
| 1904 Leslie's Monthly Mag. Aug. 424/1 It lifts your scalp like a *fright wig. 1960 B. Keaton My Wonderful World of Slapstick i. 12, I got the idea of dressing him up like myself as a stage Irishman with a fright wig, slugger whiskers, fancy vest, and over-size pants. 1989 Independent 9 Oct. 19/8 With a gloating relish that neither her baby-doll fright wig nor her impenetrable pancake make-up could conceal, she set about tormenting her immemorial screen rival. |
▪ II. fright, v.
(fraɪt)
Forms: 1 fyrhtan (Northumb. fyrhta, fryhta), 3 friȝten, 5, 9 Sc. fricht, 6 frite, 6– fright. pa. pple. 9 dial. frit.
[OE. *fryhtan (Northumb. fryhta), metathetic var. of fyrhtan, corresp. to OFris. fruchta, OS. forhtian (MDu. vruchten), OHG. forhten, furhten (MHG. vürhten, mod.Ger. fürchten), Goth. faurhtjan:—OTeut. *furhtjan to fear, f. *furhto- (forhto-) afraid. (OE. had also forhtian = OS. forhtôn, of the same meaning but differing conjugation). The factitive sense ‘to terrify’ is peculiar to Eng.]
† 1. intr. To be afraid, to fear. Obs.
| c 1000 Durham Rit. (Surtees) 102/21 Ðu doest ða fyrhta, facis eam tremere. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1861 Oc michil he friȝtede for-ði boðen symeon and leui. Ibid. 3978 Ðhoȝ ðe asse spac, friȝtede he noȝt. |
2. trans. To affect with fright; to scare, terrify. Now rare exc. poet. and dial.; in ordinary language its place has been taken by frighten.
| c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. iv. iii. (1890) 268 Gif..þunorrade eorðan and lyfte bræᵹden and fyrhten. 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. clxii, I ne wist quhat to done, so was I fricht. 1580 Sidney Ps. ix. xiii, With terrors greate, O Lord, doe thou them fright. 1628 Hobbes Thucyd. (1822) 23 The likelihood of the war wherewith the Corcyreans frighting you go about [etc.]. 1700 Penn in Pa. Hist. Soc. Mem. IX. 9 Those that fired upon the Indians, and frighted them. 1773 Goldsm. Stoops to Conq. i. i, Frighting the maids, and worrying the kittens. 1821 Clare Vill. Ministr. II. 196 The coy hare squats nestling in the corn, Frit at the bow'd ear tott'ring o'er her head. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. lxxxii, No lower life that earth's embrace May breed with him, can fright my faith. 1869 C. Gibbon R. Gray iv, ‘Ye needna be frichted, mither, he's just got himsel hurt’. 1908 D. H. Lawrence Let. 31 Dec. (1962) I. 44 The woman is..a wee bit frit. 1960 Oxford Mail 4 Aug. 1/5 When I heard he was dead I got frit. 1970 New Society 19 Nov. 897/3, I was frit, cold and bored. |
| absol. 1748 Johnson Vanity of human Wishes 148 Should no..difficulty fright. |
b. With complement: To scare away, etc.
| 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. iv. v. 11 Heele fright you vp yfaith. 1637 B. Jonson Sad Sheph. i. ii, Except Love's fires the vertue have To fright the frost out of the grave. a 1643 Suckling Acc. Relig. Ep. (1646) 1, I send you that Discourse which frighted the Lady into a cold sweat. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iv. xlvi. 373 Would fright them from Obeying the Laws. 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 121 Of a Sword the flame Wide waving, all approach farr off to fright. 1678 Wanley Wond. Lit. World v. i. §97. 468/1 Charles the fifth..frighted Solyman the Turk from Vienna. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 167 The God..who frights away, With his Lath Sword, the Thieves and Birds of Prey. 1697 Bp. Patrick Comm. Exod. ix. 27 A Man distracted and frighted out of his Wits. 1705 Stanhope Paraphr. (1709) IV. 558 A Refractory People might be frighted into good Manners. 1719 Watts ‘There is a land of pure delight’, Not Jordan's stream, nor death's cold flood, Should fright us from the shore. 1779–81 Johnson L.P., Thomson Wks. IV. 170 He accompanied the players by audible recitation, till a friendly hint frighted him to silence. 1821 Keats Lamia i. 5 Before King Oberon's bright diadem..Frighted away the Dryads and the Fauns From rushes green. |
Hence ˈfrighting vbl. n. and ppl. a.
| 1631 Denison Heav. Banq. 188 Frightings and terrors. 1648 Gage West Ind. xxi. 188 How did I sometimes look upon Deaths frighting visage? 1650 W. Brough Sacr. Princ. (1659) 16 Their triviall and frighting argument. 1663 J. Spencer Prodigies (1665) 29 God hath now, in a great measure, left frighting of men to Heaven by visible terrors. 1674 J. B[rian] Harv. Home iii. 19 Frighting fearfull terrors. |