'thrill' originates from Old English (or early Middle English) words such as 'thrylian'/'thrillen', meaning 'to pierce' or 'to pierce through'.

'thrill' changed from older Germanic forms meaning 'to pierce' and came into Middle English as 'thrillen'; the sense then broadened to include a trembling or quivering sensation and later (18th century) the emotional meaning of sudden excitement, evolving into the modern English 'thrill'.

Initially, it meant 'to pierce or bore through' (a physical sense), but over time it evolved into senses of 'to cause trembling' and finally into the current primary meaning of 'to cause sudden excitement' or 'a sudden feeling of excitement'.