Where does “astonish” come from?
Astonish comes from Middle English astonen, from Old English āstunian, formed with the Old English prefix ā- (from Old English or-) combined with a root from Proto-Indo-European (s)ten-.
astonish (English): To surprise greatly
Definitions
- To surprise greatly
Ancestry of “astonish”, step by step
astonish traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English astone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | astone | To astonish |
| 2 | Middle English | astonien | — |
| 3 | Old English | āstunian | — |
| 4 | Old English | ā- | a-; away, out |
| 5 | Old English | ar- | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | uʀ- | out, over; off, away |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | uz- | up, out |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | uss- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | uds- | up, out |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |