astonish

the word 'astonish' has a vivid metaphorical origin rooted in the experience of a thunderclap. it entered english from old french, which adapted it from the vulgar latin 'extonare', literally meaning 'to thunder out'. the latin 'tonare', meaning 'to thunder', is itself from the proto-indo-european root '(s)tenh₂-', which is the source of words related to thunder and roaring sounds. the original sense was one of being physically stunned or deafened, as if by a powerful thunderbolt. over time, this literal shock evolved into the modern abstract meaning of causing great mental surprise or amazement, capturing the feeling of being metaphorically 'thunderstruck' by an event or revelation.

the word is a simplex form. it is derived from the middle english verb 'astonishen' or 'astonien', which itself came from the old french verb 'estoner' (modern french 'étonner'), meaning 'to stun, daze, deafen, or astonish'. the old french term likely originated from the vulgar latin 'extonare', a compound of the latin prefix 'ex-' (meaning 'out') and the verb 'tonare' (meaning 'to thunder'). thus, the core sense is 'to strike as if by thunder'.