faze

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Verb 1.3.1 Related terms 1.3.2 Translations 1.4 Usage notes

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From Old English fésian (to frighten) via obsolete verb to feeze.

[edit] Pronunciation

• enPR: fāz, IPA: /feɪz/, SAMPA: /feIz/

  Homophones: phase

  Rhymes: -eɪz

[edit] Verb

to faze (third-person singular simple present fazes, present participle fazing, simple past and past participle fazed)

1. (informal) To frighten or cause hesitation; to daunt, put off (usually used in the negative), to perturb, to disconcert.

   Jumping out of an airplane does not faze him, yet he is afraid to ride a roller coaster.

[edit] Related terms

• unfazed

[edit] Translations

[edit] Usage notes

Citations for faze in the OED start in 1830; usage was established by 1890.

The word phase is sometimes used incorrectly for faze; such notables as The New York Times and Mark Twain have made this error. This sometimes leads to the supposition that faze is an uneducated spelling of phase; they are distinct terms.