Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “surprisingly” come from?

Surprisingly comes from English surprise with the Middle English participial suffix -ing, from Middle French surprise, the past participle of surprendre meaning "to overtake," from Latin prehendere meaning "to seize."

surprisingly (English): In a way that causes surprise because it is...

Definitions

  1. In a way that causes surprise because it is...

Ancestry of “surprisingly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishsurprisingpresent participle of surprise; Causing surprise;...
2EnglishsurpriseSomething unexpected; The feeling that something...
3Middle Englishsurprise—
4Middle FrenchsurpriseAlternative form of surprinse; feminine singular...
5Old Frenchsorprendreto surprise; to seize; to take control of; to...
6Old Frenchsur-over, on top of
7Latinsuper-super-; over, above
8Ancient Greekσυμμετρίαcommensurability; symmetry, due proportion; a...
9Ancient Greekσύμμετροςsymmetrical
10Ancient Greekμέτρονsomething used to measure: measure, rule, weight;...
11Ancient Greek-τρονForms instrument nouns
12Proto-Hellenic-tronForms instrument nouns from verb stems
13Proto-Indo-European-tromForms nouns denoting a tool or instrument
14Proto-Indo-European-tḗrDerives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr →