Ghasted

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Filled with shock or horror, typically expressed through a sudden loss of composure
2. Struck with surprise and dismay, as if one's breath has been taken away
3. Overwhelmed by alarm or astonishment at something unexpected or terrible

Etymology: "Ghasted" is the past tense and past participle of "ghast," a verb meaning to frighten or dismay. The verb descends from Old English "gǣstan," meaning to frighten, afflict or torment, and "gāstan," meaning to meditate, which were related to the Middle English "gasten." The original sense of fright survives in the word's older form "gast," which English writers used for centuries before "ghast" took hold. The spelling with the "gh" is a later change, pulled into line with "ghost," even though the two words are not related. That mistaken association also gave "ghast" a noun use, as in a ghastly apparition, with the sense of a ghost.