In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
ASTONISH
amaze, astonish, astound
(verb) affect with wonder; “Your ability to speak six languages amazes me!”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
astonish (third-person singular simple present astonishes, present participle astonishing, simple past and past participle astonished)
To surprise greatly.
Synonyms
• (to surprise): astound, flabbergast, surprise
Source: Wiktionary
As*ton"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Astonished; p. pr. & vb. n. Astonishing.] Etym: [OE. astonien, astunian, astonen, OF. estoner, F. étonner, fr. L. ex out + tonare to thunder, but perhaps influenced by E. stun. See Thunder, Astound, Astony.]
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 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
26 November 2024
TRANSPOSITION
(noun) (music) playing in a different key from the key intended; moving the pitch of a piece of music upwards or downwards
Coffee Trivia
