the.com/dismay

means A sudden loss of courage or heart when faced with something alarming or discouraging.

from From Old French 'desmaier' or related Vulgar Latin forms built on 'dis-' (removal, undoing) plus a root tied to Germanic 'magan' — the same ancestor behind 'may' and 'might,' meaning power or ability. So at its root, dismay literally means to be unmade of your power — to have your strength or might stripped away in the face of fear.