fright

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
fright/frʌɪt/

▶noun a sudden intense feeling of fear.

■ an experience causing fright; a shock.

▶verb archaic frighten.

– phrases
look a fright informal look ridiculous or grotesque.
take fright suddenly become frightened.

– origin OE fryhto, fyrhto (n.), of Gmc origin.