Where does “marvel” come from?
Marvel comes from Middle English merveile, from Old French merveille, from Latin mirabilia, the plural of mirabilis meaning "wonderful," derived from the verb miror meaning "to wonder at."
marvel (English): That which causes wonder; a prodigy; a miracle;...
Definitions
- That which causes wonder; a prodigy; a miracle;...
Ancestry of “marvel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | merveile | Something that induces wonder or astonishment; a... |
| 2 | Old French | merveille | wonder; marvel |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | miribilia | — |
| 4 | Latin | mīrābilia | — |
| 5 | Latin | mīrābilis | wonderful, marvellous, astonishing, extraordinary, remarkable, amazing |
| 6 | Latin | mīror | to be astonished at, marvel at, admire, be amazed at, wonder at |
| 7 | Latin | mīrus | wonderful, marvelous, amazing, surprising, miraculous |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | smeiros | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sméyros | laughing, smiling |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | smey- | to smile; to smear, stroke, wipe, rub; to be... |