Startlement

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sudden feeling of shock or surprise that causes a brief moment of alarm or disturbance in composure
2. An unexpected reaction of fright or astonishment that temporarily disrupts calmness or steadiness
3. The experience of being thrown into a brief state of shock or surprise that interrupts one’s normal state of calm or focus

Etymology: "Startlement" is simply "startle" with the suffix "-ment" added. The suffix has a long road behind it: it descends from a Proto-Indo-European ending that formed nouns denoting action or result, passed into Latin as "-mentum", and reached English through Old French "-ment". English speakers have attached it to verbs for centuries, producing words such as "amazement" and "settlement". The base verb "startle" is the more interesting half. It came into English from Old English "steartlian", and its earlier sense was a sudden leap or jump, the kind of involuntary movement an animal makes at a noise. The emotional sense of alarm grew out of that physical jolt. "Startlement" therefore names the mental equivalent of that jump: the moment of surprise itself, a suddenness of feeling rather than of motion.

Synonyms: surprise, shock, alarm, fright, consternation

Antonyms: calm, composure, serenity, tranquility