# aghast

> English word · Adjective · IPA /əˈɡæst/ · frequency rank #44,601

## Definitions
1. Terrified; struck with amazement; showing signs of terror or horror.

## Etymology
From Middle English agast, agasted, past participle of agasten (“to terrify”), from Old English a- (compare with Gothic 𐌿𐍃- (us-), German er-, originally meaning "out") + gæstan (“to terrify, torment”): compare Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (usgaisjan, “to terrify”, literally “to fix, to root to the spot with terror”); akin to Latin haerere (“to stick fast, cling”). By surface analysis, a- + ghast/gast. See gaze.

## Common misspellings (9)
`agahst`, `agghast`, `aghasst`, `aghastt`, `aghats`, `aghhast`, `aghsat`, `ahgast`, `gahast`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/aghast