tonare

to thunder

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A woman lifts a cloth from a tiny table to reveal an unexpectedly enormous bouquet; her adult friend recoils slightly with eyes wide and hand over open mouth, visibly greatly surprised.

verb

astonish

uh-STAHN-ish/əˈstɑːnɪʃ/

To surprise someone greatly.

Etymology

asLatinout, away; also thoroughly

+tonishLatinto thunder

The “out” and “thunder” elements evoke leaving someone thunderstruck. The earlier meaning “stun or strike senseless” shifted to overwhelming someone with surprise or wonder.

Full entry

Related word entries

astonish
astound
detonate
detonation