7. consternation
Published in
Mar 5, 2022
“re-sig-na-tion and fru-stra-tion con-ster-na-tion… making you frown, pinning you down.”
— lyrics by Livy Zhang, “Pinned” (original song)
5 March 2022
definition
consternation [/ˌkänstərˈnāSH(ə)n/]
noun. anxiety or dismay at something unexpected or confusing
extended definition
feelings of anxiety, dismay, or amazement, typically at something unexpected or confusing
etymology
Latin: consternatio “dismay, confusion” (from verb consternare “to overcome, confuse, alarm”) → 1610s French consternation “dismay, confusion”; “astonishment combined with terror”
notes
- often used in such a way: “… much to the consternation of…”
references
- definitions from Oxford Languages via Google’s English Dictionary
- etymology (word origin information) from Online Etymology Dictionary, or “etymonline” for short — thanks, Dr. G.
- my favorite Latin dictionary: William Whitaker’s Words
