daunt

daunt \dawnt, dahnt\, verb:
1. to frighten; overcome with fear
2. to discourage; lesson the courage of
"The huge size of a vessel does not seem to daunt the pirates," he said. "It shows their high degree of audacity and resources."
-- Xan Rice, The Guardian, 2008-11-18
It's a job that can daunt grieving relatives or anyone who hasn't had experience digging through federal files.
-- Jack Forgy, Miami Herald, 2008-10-22
c1300, from Old French danter, variant of donter, from Latin domare "to tame." Originally meant "to vanquish;" sense of "to intimidate" is from c 1475.