Trepidation

 WORD OF THE DAY

trepidation / noun / trep-uh-DAY-shun

Definition

1a: a nervous or fearful feeling of uncertain agitation 

1b: apprehension

2a (archaic): a tremulous motion 

2b: tremor 

Examples

In the first minutes, hours, or even days of fieldwork most researchers feel trepidation about being an outsider, a stranger on the scene …

— Marie D. Price, Geographical Review, January-April 2001

This was an ambitious project, and a number of us felt some trepidation about the possible results.

— Brian Phillips, New Republic, 13 Dec. 1999

Did You Know?

If you've ever trembled with fright, you know something of both the sensation and etymology of trepidation. 

The word comes from the Latin verb trepidare, which means "to tremble." 

When it first appeared in English in the early 1600s, it meant "tremulous motion" or "tremor." 

Around the same time, English speakers also started using the "nervous agitation" sense of trepidation that we use today.