Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “wonder” come from?

wonder (Middle English) comes from Old English wundor, from Proto-West Germanic wundr, from Proto-Germanic wundrą, from Proto-Indo-European wenh₁- — to love.

Ancestry of “wonder”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwundormiracle, wonder, marvel
2Proto-West Germanicwundrmarvel, wonder
3Proto-Germanicwundrąwonder, miracle
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwenh₁-to love

Words derived from “wonder”

  • wonder
  • wonderment
  • wonderland
  • wonderous
  • wonderstruck
  • Wonderbra
  • wonderworker
  • wonderer
  • wonderest
  • wondereth
  • wonderworld
  • wondersome
  • wonderboy
  • wonderless
  • bewonder
  • wonderchild
  • wonderdrug
  • wonderkid
  • wonderberry
  • Wonderword
  • wonderworthy
  • unwonder
  • Wonder Woman
  • wondergoal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wenh₁- →