Astonish

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈstɒnɪʃ/

Definitions

1. To cause someone to feel a strong sense of surprise or amazement
2. To provoke an unexpected reaction of wonder or shock
3. To evoke a powerful feeling of disbelief or admiration due to something unusual or remarkable

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "astonish" is that its ending was probably never meant to be there. The older English form was "astony" or "astone," meaning to stun or daze someone, and it was built from the verb "stonen," which meant the same thing and which connects to "stone," as in being turned to stone by shock. Over time, speakers began treating the word as if it followed the pattern of verbs ending in "-ish," such as "abolish," "banish," "cherish," and "furnish," and the spelling and sound gradually shifted to match them. The "a-" at the front is an old prefix that appears in many English verbs, so the word is essentially "a-" plus the stun-root. There is also a possibility that the word drew on Old French "estonir," a rare variant of "estoner," which carried the same sense of stunning or astounding. The two origins may have blended, so the exact path is not fully settled.

Synonyms: surprise, amaze, astound, startle, stun

Antonyms: bore, disappoint, unimpress, calm, familiarize