ASTONISH


Meaning of ASTONISH in English

v.

Pronunciation: ə - ' stä-nish

Function: transitive verb

Etymology: probably from earlier astony (fr. Middle English astonen, astonien, from Anglo-French estoner to stun, from Vulgar Latin *extonare, from Latin ex- + tonare to thunder) + -ish (as in abolish ) ― more at THUNDER

Date: circa 1534

1 obsolete : to strike with sudden fear

2 : to strike with sudden and usually great wonder or surprise <was too astonished to speak>

synonyms see SURPRISE

Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary.      Merriam Webster - Энциклопедический словарь английского языка.