The Spanish verb 'angustiar' (to distress or cause anguish) comes from the Latin verb 'angustiare' meaning 'to make narrow' or 'to distress'. This Latin verb was derived from 'angustia' meaning 'narrowness' or 'difficulty', which in turn came from the Latin adjective 'angustus' meaning 'narrow'.

The semantic evolution from 'narrow' to 'distress' makes intuitive sense - the feeling of being in a narrow or confined space can create anxiety and distress, and this physical sensation became metaphorically extended to emotional distress and anguish.

Some related Spanish words include 'angustia' (anguish, distress) and 'angosto' (narrow). These words share the same Latin root 'angustus'. While 'angosto' retained the original physical meaning of 'narrow', 'angustia' and 'angustiar' developed to express emotional or psychological distress.

The English words 'anguish' and 'anxiety' are cousins of 'angustiar', all ultimately derived from the same Latin root meaning 'narrow' or 'constricted'. 'Anxious' and 'anxiety' come from Latin 'anxius', which is related to 'angustus'. This shows how both English and Spanish preserved this ancient connection between the physical sensation of constriction and emotional distress.