marvel
/ˈmɑːrvəl/
noun/verb
Origin
Latin
mirabilia — wonderful things
Overview
Meaning Now
- A wonderful or astonishing person or thing.
- To be filled with wonder or astonishment.
Literal older meaning
Something to be wondered at.
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
merveille
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The word entered English following the Norman Conquest, reflecting the French influence on English vocabulary regarding abstract concepts of surprise and beauty, ultimately deriving from the Latin root 'mir-' which also gave us 'miracle' and 'admire'.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
mirari
“to wonder at”
- Late Latin
mirabilia
“wonderful things”
neuter plural used as a singular noun
- Old French
merveille
“wonder”
- Middle English
marvaille
“wonderful thing; miracle”
Connections
Word parts
marvel
root
wonder/astonish
Related across languages
French
merveille
wonder
Spanish
maravilla
wonder
Italian
meraviglia
wonder
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Related to marvel
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.