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trepidation

Etymology and origin of the English word trepidation

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌtɹɛp.ɪˈdeɪ.ʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin trepidatio (“agitation, alarm, trembling”),[2][3][4][5][6] partly through French trépidation,[3][4] from trepidāre “to tremble, hurry”,[2][3][4][5] from trepidus “alarmed, anxious”.[2][3][4][5] It is related to intrepid.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

A trembling or vibrating movement (1605),[7][5] and agitated alarm or confusion (1607–12).[3][7]

Semantic evolution

In old astronomy the word named a supposed oscillation of the eighth sphere, added to Ptolemy's system by the Arab astronomer Thabit ibn Qurra.[7][1] The physical sense of trembling is now archaic,[5] and the word mainly means apprehensive fear about what may happen.[2][5][1] The adjective trepidatious is recorded by 1873.[4]

Timeline

  • 1605 – a trembling motion.[7][5]
  • 1607–12 – agitation, alarm.[3][7]
  • before 1631 – an astronomical libration.[7]
  • 1873 – trepidatious.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A state of fear or dread about what may happen; apprehension.
  2. (archaic) An involuntary trembling or quivering; a tremor.
  • intrepid
  • trepid
  • trepidatious
  • tremble

Usage notes

Random House lists trembling and fright as synonyms in the sense of fear, and quivering and shaking in the sense of tremor.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Trepidation.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/trepidation. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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