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.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM astonish

as·ton·ished·ly, adverb as·ton·ish·er, noun su·per·as·ton·ish, verb un·as·ton·ished, adjective

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