WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : As*ton"ish
Part of Speech : v. t. [imp. & p. p. Astonished; p. pr. & vb. n. Astonishing.]
Etymology : [OE. astonien, astunian, astonen, OF. estoner, F. ?tonner, fr. L. ex out + tonare to thunder, but perhaps influenced by E. stun. See Thunder, Astound, Astony.]
Definition : 1. To stun; to render senseless, as by a blow. [Obs.] Enough, captain; you have astonished him. [Fluellen had struck Pistol]. Shak. The very cramp-fish [i. e., torpedo] . . . being herself not benumbed, is able to astonish others. Holland.

2. To strike with sudden fear, terror, or wonder; to amaze; to surprise greatly, as with something unaccountable; to confound with some sudden emotion or passion. Musidorus . . . had his wits astonished with sorrow. Sidney. I, Daniel . . . was astonished at the vision. Dan. viii. 27.

Syn. -- To amaze; astound; overwhelm; surprise. -- Astonished, Surprised. We are surprised at what is unexpected. We are astonished at what is above or beyond our comprehension. We are taken by surprise. We are struck with astonishment. C. J. Smith. See Amaze.


Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913