the.com/panicked
The body's emergency broadcast, screaming about a threat that's usually a deadline.
means Overcome by sudden, often overwhelming fear or anxiety that disrupts clear thinking and calm action.
from From 'panic,' which traces back to the Greek god Pan—the goat-legged deity of wild places. The Greeks blamed the sudden, groundless terror that could seize travelers in lonely woods or flocks of animals on Pan's mischief, calling it 'panikon,' meaning 'of Pan.' The fear belonged to him. The word arrived in English via French and Latin, and 'panicked'—the verb's past tense—simply adds the very ordinary -ed ending to that very ancient, very irrational dread.
word originNamed for Pan, the Greek god who spread terror
tunnel visionFear physically narrows your field of view
oxygen surplusHyperventilation gives too much oxygen, causing dizziness
contagiousCrowds spread panic faster than any actual danger
frozen responseSome brains pick paralysis over flight entirely