panique

See also: paniqué

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pa.nik/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: panic, paniquent, paniques
• Rhymes: -ik

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle French panique, a learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πανικός (panikós), from Πάν (Pán). Pan, the Greek god of fields and woods, was believed to be the source of mysterious sounds that caused contagious, groundless fear in herds and crowds, or in people in lonely spots.

Adjective

panique (plural paniques)

1. (archaic or literary) pertaining to the god Pan
2. (literary) panicked
3. (of fear) sudden, violent, and mostly baseless

   peur panique ― strong fear, terror

Noun

panique f (plural paniques)

1. panic

   crise de panique ― panic attack

Derived terms

• paniquer

Descendants

• → Russian: па́ника (pánika)
  • → Georgian: პანიკა (ṗaniḳa)
• → Turkish: panik

Further reading

• “panique”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
• “panique” in Dictionnaire français en ligne Larousse.
• “panique” in Émile Littré, Dictionnaire de la langue française, 1872–1877.

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

panique

1. inflection of paniquer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative