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grisly [grisly 词源字典]: grisly: [OE] Middle English had a verb grise ‘be terrified’, which points back via an unrecorded Old English *grīsan to a West Germanic *grīdenoting ‘fear, terror’, from which grisly would have been formed. Dutch has the parallel formation grijzelijk. In 1900, the Oxford English Dictionary described grisly as ‘now only arch and lit’, but since then its fortunes have recovered strongly, and it is now firmly part of the general language.
[grisly etymology, grisly origin, 英语词源]
gruesome: gruesome: [16] The novels of Sir Walter Scott had an enormous influence in introducing Scotticisms into the general English language, and gruesome is a case in point. It was apparently coined in the 16th century from an earlier verb grue ‘be terrified’, which was probably of Scandinavian origin. For over 200 years it remained restricted in distribution to Scotland and northern England, but Scott started using it (‘He’s as grave and grewsome an auld Dutchman as e’er I saw’, Old Mortality 1816), immediately ensuring it an entrée into homes all over Britain thanks to Scott’s huge readership. It has never looked back.
terror: terror: [14] To be terrified is etymologically to ‘shake with fear’. The ultimate ancestor of Latin terror ‘fear’ (source of English terror) and terrēre ‘frighten’ (source of English deter [16], terrible [15], terrific [17], and terrify [16]) was the Indo-European base *tre- ‘shake’, which also produced English tremble, tremor, etc. Terrorism [18] and terrorist [18] were coined in French in the 1790s to denote the activities of the Revolutionary government during the ‘Terror’, when thousands of its opponents were put to death. It broadened out towards its present-day meaning in the 19th century.
=> deter, terrible, terrify, tremble, tremor
aghast (adj.): c. 1300, agast, "terrified," past participle of Middle English agasten "to frighten" (c. 1200), from a- intensive prefix + Old English gæstan "to terrify," from gæst "spirit, ghost" (see ghost). The -gh- spelling appeared early 15c. in Scottish and is possibly a Flemish influence, or after ghost, etc. It became general after 1700.
terrify (v.): 1570s, from Latin terrificare "to frighten, make afraid," from terrificus "causing terror" (see terrific). Related: Terrified; terrifying.