astonished
/əˈstɒn.ɪʃt/
adjective
Origin
Latin
ex- + tonare — to thunder
Overview
Meaning Now
- Greatly surprised or impressed; amazed.
Literal older meaning
struck with thunder
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
astonien
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word descends from the Latin 'extonare', literally meaning to thunder out or to strike by thunder. In medieval times, this carried the figurative sense of being stunned or dazed as if hit by lightning, eventually softening into the modern sense of being overwhelmed by surprise.
Evolution
- Latin
extonare
“to strike with thunder”
- Old French
estoner
“to stun or daze”
- Middle English
astonen
“to stun or amaze”
- Modern English
astonished
“greatly surprised”
Connections
Word parts
astonishe-
stem
base verb
-d
suffix
past participle suffix
Related across languages
French
étonner
to surprise
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Related to astonished
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.