panic

Etymology

First recorded as an adjective in 1603, in phrases such as panic fear,^[1][2] and as a noun in 1708.^[1][3] It is borrowed from Middle French panique,^[4][5] from Ancient Greek πανικός (panikós, “of Pan”),^[2][1] from Ancient Greek Πάν (Pán), god of woods and fields.^[3] Sounds heard by night on mountains and in valleys were attributed to Pan, and so he was reputed to be the cause of any sudden, groundless fear.^[2][3]

Unrelated to panic grass, which is from Latin pānicum (“a kind of millet”).^[5][2]

References

1. [1] [2] [3] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
2. [1] [2] [3] [4] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. [1] [2] [3] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. [1] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
5. [1] [2] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House