anxiety
Meaning
an uncomfortable feeling of nervousness or worry about something that is happening or might happen in the future.
a strong feeling of wanting to do something or of wanting something to happen.
Structure
Usage
she felt a surge of anxiety before her job interview.
his anxiety about the future made it difficult for him to sleep.
there is widespread anxiety over the rising cost of living.
Etymology
the word anxiety traces its lineage to the latin 'anxietas', a state of agitation derived from the adjective 'anxius', meaning troubled or distressed. this, in turn, stems from the verb 'angere', which carries the physical sense of choking, constricting, or causing pain. the conceptual link is vivid: just as physical constriction tightens the body, mental distress tightens and troubles the mind. the suffix '-ety', evolving from latin '-itas', formalizes this agitated feeling into a noun denoting the condition or state of being anxious.
Analysis
anxi originates from the latin root 'anxius', meaning troubled in mind, which is derived from 'angere', meaning to choke, squeeze, constrict. ety is a noun-forming suffix from latin '-itas' (state, condition), via old french '-eté'.