terror

n. [ L. terror, akin to terrere to frighten, for tersere; akin to Gr. &unr_; to flee away, dread, Skr. tras to tremble, to be afraid, Russ. triasti to shake: cf. F. terreur. Cf. Deter. ] 1. Extreme fear; fear that agitates body and mind; violent dread; fright. [ 1913 Webster ]

Terror seized the rebel host. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which excites dread; a cause of extreme fear. [ 1913 Webster ]

Those enormous terrors of the Nile. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

Rulers are not a terror to good works. Rom. xiii. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Terror is used in the formation of compounds which are generally self-explaining: as, terror-fraught, terror-giving, terror-smitten, terror-stricken, terror-struck, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

King of terrors, death. Job xviii. 14. --
Reign of Terror. (French Hist.) See in Dictionary of Noted Names in Fiction. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Alarm; fright; consternation; dread; dismay. See Alarm. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. terrorisme. ] 1. The act of terrorizing, or state of being terrorized; a mode of government by terror or intimidation. Jefferson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The practise of coercing governments to accede to political demands by committing violence on civilian targets; any similar use of violence to achieve goals. [ PJC ]

n. [ F. terroriste. ] 1. One who governs by terrorism or intimidation; specifically, an agent or partisan of the revolutionary tribunal during the Reign of Terror in France. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who commits terrorism{ 2 }. [ PJC ]