I. mar ‧ vel 1 /ˈmɑːv ə l $ ˈmɑːr-/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle marvelled , present participle marvelling British English , marveled , marveling American English ) [intransitive and transitive]
to feel or express great surprise or admiration at something, especially someone’s behaviour:
‘The man is a genius,’ marvelled Claire.
marvel at/over
I marvelled at my mother’s ability to remain calm in a crisis.
Visitors to Rome marvel over the beauty of the city.
marvel that
I marvelled that anyone could be so stupid.
II. marvel 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: merveille , from Late Latin mirabilia 'things that cause surprise and admiration' , from Latin mirari 'to wonder' ]
something or someone that is extremely useful or skilful SYN miracle , wonder :
an engineering marvel
I don’t know how he did it – he’s an absolute marvel!
marvel of
the marvels of modern science