wonder
UK /ˈwʌndə/ · US /ˈwʌndɚ/ noun, verb
Forms wonders wondering wondered wonderest wonderedst wondereth wonda wondre
- noun (uncountable) A sense of awe, astonishment and curiosity, inspired by unexpected events, novel experiences and inexplicable circumstances, sometimes accompanied by surprise, shock or reverence.
- noun (countable) Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel. “Wonders of the World seem to come in sevens.”
- noun Fortunate circumstances. “That stay in the country did her wonders.”
- noun An astonishing and seemingly inexplicable turn of events. “The idea was so ridiculous that it's a wonder anyone went along with it.”
- noun A feat that demonstrates incredible finesse or skill, as if performed by magic. “Given the limited resources, he's really performed wonders.”
- noun Someone very talented at something, a genius. “He's a wonder at cooking.”
- noun (colloquial, sarcastic, following an adjective ending -less that typically has two syllables) A nominalizer that serves as a head noun for the preceding adjective, which together form a mocking or insulting epithet. “So the voiceless wonder speaks at last.”
- noun (countable, UK, informal) A mental pondering, a thought.
- verb (intransitive) To be affected with surprise or admiration; to be struck with astonishment; to be amazed; to marvel; often followed by at. “He's married by now, I shouldn't wonder.”
- verb (transitive, intransitive) To ponder; to feel doubt and curiosity; to query in the mind. “He wondered whether penguins could fly. She had wondered this herself sometimes.”
- noun Any of the Wonders of the World.
Synonyms
one ponder wonderment admiration marvel curiosity inquire enquire question
Etymology
From Middle English wonder, wunder, from Old English wundor (“wonder, miracle, marvel”), from Proto-West Germanic *wundr, from Proto-Germanic *wundrą.
Cognate with Scots wunner (“wonder”), West Frisian wonder, wûnder (“wonder, miracle”), Dutch wonder (“miracle, wonder”), Low German wunner, wunder (“wonder”), German Wunder (“miracle, wonder”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish under (“wonder, miracle”), Faroese and Icelandic undur (“wonder”).
The verb is from Middle English wondren, from Old English wundrian, which is from Proto-Germanic *wundrōną. Cognate with Saterland Frisian wunnerje, West Frisian wûnderje, Dutch wonderen, German Low German wunnern, German wundern, Swedish undra, Icelandic undra.
Via PIE cognate with English wish (see more).
Webster’s 1913
- noun That emotion which is excited by novelty, or the presentation to the sight or mind of something new, unusual, strange, great, extraordinary, or not well understood; surprise; astonishment; admiration; amazement.
- noun A cause of wonder; that which excites surprise; a strange thing; a prodigy; a miracle. " Babylon, the wonder of all tongues." Milton.
- verb To be affected with surprise or admiration; to be struck with astonishment; to be amazed; to marvel.
- verb To feel doubt and curiosity; to wait with uncertain expectation; to query in the mind; as, he wondered why they came.
Etymology [AS. wundrian.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “wonder”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details