wonder
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈwʌndə/
ipa: /ˈwʌndɚ/
rhymes: -ʌndə(ɹ)
Forms: form: wonders
form: wondre
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 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.
Via PIE cognate with English wish (see more).
Senses: examples: text: 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.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 3:10, column 1:
text: All wonder is the effect of novelty upon ignorance.
ref: 1781, Samuel Johnson, The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets:
text: 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).
ref: 1871, Plato, Benjamin Jowett (translator), Theaetetus (section 155d)
text: 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.
ref: 1953, Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451:
glosses: A sense of awe, astonishment and curiosity, inspired by unexpected events, novel experiences and inexplicable circumstances, sometimes accompanied by surprise, shock or reverence.
examples: text: Wonders of the World seem to come in sevens.
text: 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.
ref: 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
glosses: Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
examples: text: That stay in the country did her wonders.
text: It's a wonder no-one saw me.
glosses: Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
Fortunate circumstances.
examples: text: The idea was so ridiculous that it's a wonder anyone went along with it.
glosses: Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
An astonishing and seemingly inexplicable turn of events.
examples: text: Given the limited resources, he's really performed wonders.
glosses: Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
A feat that demonstrates incredible finesse or skill, as if performed by magic.
examples: text: He's a wonder at cooking.
glosses: Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
Someone very talented at something, a genius.
examples: text: So the voiceless wonder speaks at last.
text: Well, I wanted to tell the brainless wonder what I thought of him.
ref: 1931 May 4, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, “episode 971”, in AAmos 'n' Andy, McFarland, →ISBN, page 65:
text: 'Where is the cheating dickless wonder?'
ref: 2010 June 3, Shari Low, Temptation Street, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
text: Well, the chinless wonder in question broke out through a snatch squad and evaded capture as neatly as any field op in the Network.
ref: 2012 July 9, Charles Stross, The Apocalypse Codex: Book 4 in The Laundry Files, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
glosses: Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
A nominalizer that serves as a head noun for the preceding adjective, which together form a mocking or insulting epithet.
synonyms: one
qualifier: following an adjective ending -less that typically has two syllables
examples: text: 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.
ref: 1934, Katharine Tynan, The house of dreams:
glosses: A mental pondering, a thought.
glosses: A kind of donut; a cruller.
Derived terms: 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