consternation

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The Word of the Day for March 1 is:

consternation   \kahn-ster-NAY-shun\   noun
     : amazement or dismay that hinders or throws into confusion

Example sentence:
     The Bakers were relieved to find a motel in so remote a 
spot, but their relief turned to consternation when they 
learned the place didn't have any rooms available for the night.

Did you know?
     Wonder what the seemingly dissimilar words "prostrate" 
("stretched out with face on the ground"), "stratum" ("layer"), 
and "stratus" ("a low cloud form extending over a large area") 
have in common with "consternation"? They are all thought to 
share the Latin ancestor "sternere," meaning "to spread" 
or "strike or throw down." "Consternation," which has been a 
part of the English language since at least 1604, comes from 
Latin "consternare." Etymologists aren't completely certain 
that "consternare" comes from "sternere," but they have a 
strong suspicioun that it does.