asustar

Either derived from a- +‎ susto (“fright”) +‎ -ar, or less likely from a Latin suscitāre (which would hypothetically make it a cognate with English suscitate). More likely linked to Latin substāre, from sub- + stō (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?). Compare Portuguese assustar.

• IPA^(key): /asusˈtaɾ/

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: a‧sus‧tar

asustar (first-person singular present asusto, first-person singular preterite asusté, past participle asustado)

1. (transitive) to scare, to frighten, to spook

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:asustar

2. (transitive) to freak out (somebody), to creep out
3. (transitive) to startle
4. (reflexive) to be scared, frightened

   Synonyms: tener miedo, temer

5. (reflexive) to freak out, to get freaked out, to panic

   Me asusté cuando de la nada, un escarabajo voló hacia mí y se me metió en el pelo.

   I freaked out when out of nowhere, a beetle flew at me and got in my hair.

• “asustar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10