astonish
[ uh-ston-ish ]
/ əˈstɒn ɪʃ /
verb (used with object)
to fill with sudden and overpowering surprise or wonder; amaze: Her easy humor and keen intellect astonished me.
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Origin of astonish
1525–35; Middle English astonyen, astonen, probably < dialectal Old French *astoner, Old French estoner < Vulgar Latin *extonāre, for Latin attonāre to strike with lightning, equivalent to ex- ex-1, at- at- + tonāre to thunder; extended by -ish2, perhaps reflecting Anglo-French *astonir < dialectal Old French
SYNONYMS FOR astonish
OTHER WORDS FROM astonish
as·ton·ished·ly, adverbas·ton·ish·er, nounsu·per·as·ton·ish, verbun·as·ton·ished, adjectiveWords nearby astonish
astomatous, astomia, aston, aston dark space, astonied, astonish, astonishing, astonishment, astor, astoria, astound
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for astonish
British Dictionary definitions for astonish
astonish
/ (əˈstɒnɪʃ) /
verb
(tr) to fill with amazement; surprise greatly
Word Origin for astonish
C15: from earlier astonyen (see astonied), from Old French estoner, from Vulgar Latin extonāre (unattested) to strike with thunder, from Latin tonāre to thunder
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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