Disquietudes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state of unease or anxiety that affects one's peace of mind
2. feelings of agitation or worry that disrupt tranquility
3. an emotional disturbance characterized by a lack of calm and serenity

Etymology: "Disquietudes" is simply the plural of "disquietude," so the story is really that of its parts. "Quietude" came into English from Latin "quietudo," meaning rest or tranquility, formed from "quietus," the quiet state that underlies the English adjective "quiet." Attaching the prefix "dis-," meaning apart or the reversal of a state, produced a word for the loss of that calm. The prefix itself came through Latin "dis-" from an older Indo-European root meaning two or apart, and reached English partly through Old French "des-," which is why the same prefix appears in words like "disturb" and "dislike." Because the plural form counts separate instances of the feeling, "disquietudes" is used when a writer wants to speak of several troubles or anxieties rather than one general state of unrest.

Synonyms: anxieties, disturbances