'anxiety' originates from Late Latin, specifically the word 'anxietas', where 'anxius' meant 'troubled' or 'uneasy' (from the root 'angere' meaning 'to choke or squeeze').

'anxiety' changed from the Late Latin word 'anxietas' into Old French/Anglo-Norman 'anxiete' and then into Middle English forms such as 'anxieté', eventually becoming the modern English word 'anxiety'.

Initially, it meant 'a state of being troubled or uneasy' in Latin and medieval usage; over time it evolved into the current sense of 'a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease' and also acquired medical usage referring to disorders of excessive worry.