Word of the Day:

: timorous uncertain agitation : apprehension

As she boarded the plane for her first flight, Corrine felt a mixture of trepidation and excitement.

More example sentences

If you've ever trembled with fright, you know something of both the sensation and etymology of "trepidation." The word "trepidation" comes from the Latin verb "trepidare," which means "to tremble." When "trepidation" first appeared in English in the early 1600s, it meant "tremulous motion" or "tremor." Around the same time, English speakers also started using the "nervous agitation" sense of "trepidation" that we use today.