wonder
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom 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 and Swedish under (“wonder, miracle”), 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.
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈwʌndə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈwʌndɚ/
Audio (General American): (file) - Rhymes: -ʌndə(ɹ)
- Hyphenation: won‧der
Noun
editwonder (countable and uncountable, plural wonders)
- Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
- Wonders of the World seem to come in sevens.
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
- That concertina was a wonder in its way. The handles that was on it first was wore out long ago, and he'd made new ones of braided rope yarn. And the bellows was patched in more places than a cranberry picker's overalls.
- Something astonishing and seemingly inexplicable.
- The idea was so crazy that it is a wonder that anyone went along with it.
- Someone very talented at something, a genius.
- He's a wonder at cooking.
- The sense or emotion which can be inspired by something curious or unknown; surprise; astonishment, often with awe or reverence.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 3:10, column 1:
- And they knew that it was hee which ſate for almes at the beautifull gate of the Temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened vnto him.
- 1781, Samuel Johnson, The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets:
- All wonder is the effect of novelty upon ignorance.
- 1871, Plato, Benjamin Jowett (translator), Theaetetus (section 155d)
- Socrates: I see, my dear Theaetetus, that Theodorus had a true insight into your nature when he said that you were a philosopher, for wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder. He was not a bad genealogist who said that Iris (the messenger of heaven) is the child of Thaumas (wonder).
- 1953, Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451:
- Stuff your eyes with wonder […] live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.
- (UK, informal) A mental pondering, a thought.
- 1934, Katharine Tynan, The house of dreams:
- Miss Paynter had a little wonder as to whether the man, as she called Mr. Lacy in her own mind, had ever been admitted to this room. She thought not.
- (US) A kind of donut; a cruller.
Derived terms
edit- 1der
- 90-day wonder, ninety-day wonder
- armless wonder
- bird of wonder
- boy wonder
- chinless wonder
- girl wonder
- golden wonder killifish
- go wonder
- gutless wonder
- little wonder
- nine days wonder
- nine-day wonder, nine day wonder, nine days' wonder
- no-hit wonder
- no wonder
- on a wonder
- one hit wonder
- one-hit wonder
- seven-day wonder
- small wonder
- tiny wonder
- two-hit wonder
- witless wonder
- wonder-bearing
- wonder-beast
- wonderbeast
- wonderberry
- wonderbird
- wonderbook
- wonderboy
- wonderbra
- wonderchild
- wonder drug
- wonderdrug
- wonderfool
- wonderfuck
- wonderful
- wonderglow
- wonder glow
- wonder-glow
- wonderhood
- wonderland
- wonderly
- wonderment
- wonder of the world
- wonder of wonders
- wondershine
- wondership
- wonder-ship
- wondersong
- wonder-striking
- Wonder Woman
- wonderworker
- wonderworld
- wondrous, wonderous
- work wonders
Translations
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Verb
editwonder (third-person singular simple present wonders, present participle wondering, simple past and past participle wondered)
- (intransitive) To be affected with surprise or admiration; to be struck with astonishment; to be amazed; to marvel; often followed by at.
- 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author Gives Some Account of Himself and Family, His First Inducements to Travel. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput), pages 14–15:
- […] I could not ſufficiently wonder at the Intrepidity of theſe diminutive Mortals, […]
- 1751 October 19, Samuel Johnson, “No. 163. Tuesday, October 8. 1751 [Julian calendar].”, in The Rambler, volume VII, Edinburgh: […] Sands, Murray, and Cochran; sold by W. Gordon, C. Wright, J. Yair, […], published 1752, →OCLC, page 35:
- Some had read the manuſcript, and rectified its inaccuracies; others had ſeen it in a ſtate ſo imperfect, that they could not forbear to wonder at its preſent excellence; […]
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 58:
- The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.
- (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.
- c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], page 323, column 1:
- I wonder in my Soule / What you would aske me, that I ſhould deny […]
- 1988 December 4, John Kyper, “Avoid Friends Like The New Alliance Party”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 21, page 4:
- Topping it all off, The National Alliance is an expensive, professionally-produced newspaper that is distributed for free all over the place. One wonders: Where does their money come from? Who is supporting them?
Synonyms
edit- (to ponder): See Thesaurus:ponder
Derived terms
editTranslations
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Anagrams
editAfrikaans
editPronunciation
editEtymology 1
editNoun
editwonder (plural wondere or wonders, diminutive wondertjie)
Etymology 2
editFormally from Dutch wonderen (“to surprise, take aback”). The intransitive construction has certain antetypes in older Dutch and could also have developed in Afrikaans on its own, but at least the weakening of the sense must be influenced by English wonder.
Verb
editwonder (present wonder, present participle wonderende, past participle gewonder)
- to wonder (be uncertain, ponder, ask oneself)
- Ek het gewonder wat ek moet sê.
- I wondered what I should say.
Dutch
editEtymology
editFrom Middle Dutch wonder, wunder, from Old Dutch wundar, from Proto-Germanic *wundrą, from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to wish for, desire, strive for, win, love”). Compare Low German wunder, wunner, German Wunder, West Frisian wonder, wûnder, English wonder, Danish under.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editwonder n (plural wonderen, diminutive wondertje n)
- wonder, miracle
- De genezing van de zieke werd beschouwd als een groot wonder.
- The healing of the sick was considered a great miracle.
- Volgens de legende gebeurden er vele wonderen tijdens zijn leven.
- According to the legend, many miracles happened during his lifetime.
- Het onverklaarbare fenomeen werd toegeschreven aan een bovennatuurlijk wonder.
- The unexplainable phenomenon was attributed to a supernatural miracle.
Synonyms
editDerived terms
editDescendants
edit- Afrikaans: wonder
- Jersey Dutch: wonder
- Negerhollands: wonder
- → Sranan Tongo: wondru
- → Caribbean Javanese: wonder
Anagrams
editMiddle English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom Old English wundor, from Proto-West Germanic *wundr, from Proto-Germanic *wundrą.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editwonder (plural wonders or wonder)
- marvel, wonder, strange or extraordinary thing or event
- sign, portent, prodigy, extraordinary thing seen as an omen
- miracle; supernatural or divine work
- atrocity, crime, terrible deed
- something perplexing or puzzling, enigma, conundrum
- report of something strange or extraordinary
- the feeling of wonder, amazement, puzzlement or awe
- c. 1368, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Book of the Duchess, as recorded c. 1440–1450 in Bodleian Library MS. Fairfax 16, folio 130r:
- I Haue grete wonder, be this lyghte / How that I lyve, for day ne nyghte / I may nat slepe, wel nygh noght
- I greatly wonder (literally, “have great wonder”) by this light / How it is that I’m alive, for day and night / I can hardly sleep at all.
- c. 1368, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Book of the Duchess, as recorded c. 1440–1450 in Bodleian Library MS. Fairfax 16, folio 130r:
Related terms
editDescendants
edit- English: wonder
Adjective
editwonder
- exciting feelings of wonder; strange, extraordinary, wonderful
- miraculous, supernatural, magical
- excellent, wonderful, very good or admirable
- dreadful, terrible, dire
- (usually in the phrase wonder thing) perplexing, puzzling, surprising
- great in degree, high, great
- great in quantity, a great deal of, much
Adverb
editwonder
- to a great degree; very, extraordinarily, extremely
References
edit- “wǒnder, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2023-11-09.
- “wǒnder, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2023-11-10.
- “wǒnder, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2023-11-10.
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wenh₁-
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ʌndə(ɹ)
- Rhymes:English/ʌndə(ɹ)/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- British English
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- American English
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English transitive verbs
- Afrikaans terms with IPA pronunciation
- Afrikaans terms derived from Middle Dutch
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Middle Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Old Dutch
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Old Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Afrikaans terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Afrikaans terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Dutch
- Afrikaans lemmas
- Afrikaans nouns
- Afrikaans terms derived from English
- Afrikaans verbs
- Afrikaans terms with usage examples
- Dutch terms inherited from Middle Dutch
- Dutch terms derived from Middle Dutch
- Dutch terms inherited from Old Dutch
- Dutch terms derived from Old Dutch
- Dutch terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Dutch terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Dutch terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
- Dutch terms with audio links
- Rhymes:Dutch/ɔndər
- Rhymes:Dutch/ɔndər/2 syllables
- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch nouns
- Dutch nouns with plural in -en
- Dutch neuter nouns
- Dutch terms with usage examples
- Middle English terms inherited from Old English
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
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- Middle English adjectives
- Middle English adverbs