astonish

Meaning

Verb

• To surprise greatly.

Related

Similar words

• astound, flabbergast, surprise

Origin

• From an alteration (due to words ending in -ish: abolish, banish, cherish, establish, furnish, etc.) of earlier astony, astone, aston, astun, from Middle English astonien, astunien, astonen, astunen, astounen, of uncertain origin, possibly from Old English *āstunian, from ā- + stunian, from Proto-Germanic *stunōną, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ten-, *(s)ton-, equivalent to a- + stun. Compare German erstaunen ("to astonish, amaze"). Another possible source, or else influence, is Old French estoner, estuner, estonuer, estonner, either from an assumed Vulgar Latin *extonare ("to strike with thunder, daze, stupefy, stun") from Late Latin *extono (ex + tono), or from Old Frankish *stunen ("to stun"), related to Middle High German stunen ("to knock, strike, stun") and then, if not the source, still a cognate of the word astound.