Added 9 October 2026
anxiety
/æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ noun
In Latin: metus, anxietās, sollicitudo Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about anxiety at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- (psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic.
- A vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in anticipation of some (usually ill-defined) misfortune.
Origin
Borrowed from Latin ānxietās, from ānxius (“anxious, solicitous, distressed, troubled”), from angō (“to distress, trouble”), akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). Equivalent to anxious + -ety. See anger; angst.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)