Transfigere

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To pierce through or fix firmly by piercing; to transfix or impale with a sharp object; to render motionless by a sharp or overwhelming sensation
2. To stab or thrust something sharply through an object or body; to hold something stationary by piercing it through; to overcome or captivate intensely with an emotion or sight
3. To penetrate or impale by a sudden piercing action; to secure or fasten in place by piercing; to cause to be struck with amazement or wonder, immobilizing attention

Etymology: Latin "transfigere" is built from "trans" ("across, through") and "figere" ("to fasten, fix, pierce"), so its core sense is physical: to drive something through another thing. The Latin verb is the source of the English "transfix," which entered English in the early 1600s and first meant to pierce through with a pointed weapon, as in a spear through a body. The verb form in English is itself the older, literal sense, and the emotional sense of being held motionless or spellbound came later, as if a person were pinned in place by a sight or feeling. The English word "transfigure," meaning to change form, is a separate descendant of the same Latin root, built on "transfigurare," which is a related but distinct Latin verb. The two English words are close relatives, not one word with two meanings, and readers often confuse them because their spellings are nearly identical.