Where does “panic” come from?
Panic comes from Middle French panique, from Ancient Greek πανικός relating to Πάν, the god of wild nature and herds.
panic (English): Pertaining to the god Pan; Of fear, fright etc:...
Definitions
- Pertaining to the god Pan; Of fear, fright etc:...
Ancestry of “panic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | panique | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | πανικός | pertaining to Pan |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πᾶν | neuter nominative singular of πᾶς; neuter... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὀπτικός | of or relating to seeing, sight or vision: optic,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὄψις | view |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὄψ | voice; word; eye, face |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | wókʷs | voice |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wekʷ- | to speak, to sound out |