Word: terrify

Associations

"Terrify" means to cause someone to feel extreme fear. It is a strong word often used when something scares someone a lot.

• Example 1: "The horror movie really terrifies me." (Here, the movie is so scary that it causes intense fear.)
• Example 2: "The loud thunder terrifies small children." (In this case, the sound of thunder is frightening to kids.)
• Example 3: "He was terrified when he saw the snake." (The person experienced intense fear because of the sight of the snake.)

A well-known synonym is "frighten." However, "terrify" is stronger than "frighten." You might be frightened by a spider, but you could be terrified by a shark in the water.

Substitution

You could use different words depending on the level of fear:

• "scare" (less intense)
• "alarm" (to cause someone to feel worried)
• "dismay" (to cause someone to feel anxious or upset)

Using "scare" instead of "terrify" would make it less intense. For example, "The storm scares me" has a different feeling than "The storm terrifies me."

Deconstruction

The root word is "terrify," which comes from the Latin "terrere," meaning "to frighten" or "to tremble." The prefix "terri-" relates to land or earth, but in this case, it is about fear. There are no suffixes here, making the word direct.

Historically, the word has been used in English since the early 1500s, emphasizing intense fear.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you felt terrified? What caused that feeling?
• How might your friends react when they are terrified?
• In what movies or stories have you seen the word "terrify" used effectively?