Wundorfull

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An archaic Old English form meaning causing great delight or admiration, or inspiring a sense of marvel
2. Describing something extraordinary and marvelous that fills a person with wonder, in the language of early English
3. Characterizing anything remarkable or astonishing, an early spelling of a word for splendid and amazing

Etymology: "Wundorfull" is the Old English form of what we now write as "wonderful," built from "wundor," meaning "wonder" or "marvel," and the suffix "-full," meaning "full of." Its literal sense was "full of wonder," so the adjective described something that produced astonishment rather than something merely pleasant. The spelling shifted over the centuries. Middle English writers wrote "wonderful" and its variants, and the adjective kept its broad range of meanings. Early uses could describe things that were strange or even dreadful, not only splendid. The sense of "wonderful" as "excellent" or "delightful" developed later, and today it is the everyday word for pleasing or admirable.