Myth & LegendGreek → English
Panic
/ˈpænɪk/
Sudden overwhelming fear, often spreading through a crowd.
The Greek roots
Πάν
Pán
the god Pan
Literally: “of the god Pan”
Follow a root:πᾶν19 words
The story of the word
Pan, the goat-legged god of the wild, was blamed for the groundless terror that could seize travellers and armies — 'panic' fear.
The same roots elsewhere
Other languages reached for exactly the same Greek pieces.
In a sentence
A wave of panic swept through the crowded hall.