Latin: Fear; terror. In a technical sense, a reasonable and well-grounded apprehension of some great evil, such as death or mayhem, and not arising out of mere timidity, but such as might fall upon a man of courage. Fear must be of this description In order to amount to duress avoiding a contract. See Bract, lib. 2, c. 5; 1 Bl. Comm. 131; Calvin.