wonder

English Online Dictionary. What means wonder‎? What does wonder mean?

English

Alternative forms

• 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.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈwʌndə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈwʌndɚ/
• Rhymes: -ʌndə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: won‧der

Noun

wonder (countable and uncountable, plural wonders)

1. Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
2. Something astonishing and seemingly inexplicable.

3. Someone very talented at something, a genius.

4. The sense or emotion which can be inspired by something curious or unknown; surprise; astonishment, often with awe or reverence.
   • 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).
5. (UK, informal) A mental pondering, a thought.
6. (US) A kind of donut; a cruller.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

wonder (third-person singular simple present wonders, present participle wondering, simple past and past participle wondered)

1. (intransitive) To be affected with surprise or admiration; to be struck with astonishment; to be amazed; to marvel; often followed by at.
2. (transitive, intransitive) To ponder; to feel doubt and curiosity; to query in the mind.

Synonyms

• (to ponder): See Thesaurus:ponder

Derived terms

• bewonder
• forwonder
• just wondering
• unwonder
• wonderer

Translations

Anagrams

• Nedrow, Rowden, Worden, downer, red won, wondre

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɔnər/, /ˈvɔndər/

Etymology 1

From Dutch wonder.

Noun

wonder (plural wondere or wonders, diminutive wondertjie)

1. miracle, wonder

Etymology 2

Formally 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

wonder (present wonder, present participle wonderende, past participle gewonder)

1. to wonder (be uncertain, ponder, ask oneself)

Dutch

Etymology

From 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

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɔn.dər/
• Hyphenation: won‧der
• Rhymes: -ɔndər

Noun

wonder n (plural wonderen, diminutive wondertje n)

1. wonder, miracle

Synonyms

• mirakel

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: wonder
• Jersey Dutch: wonder
• Negerhollands: wonder
• → Sranan Tongo: wondru
  • → Caribbean Javanese: wonder

Anagrams

• worden

Middle English

Alternative forms

• wondir, wondre, wondere, wondur, wunder, wundir, wundur, wounder, woundir, woundre, woundur, vonder

Etymology

From Old English wundor, from Proto-West Germanic *wundr, from Proto-Germanic *wundrą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwundər/

Noun

wonder (plural wonders or wonder)

1. marvel, wonder, strange or extraordinary thing or event
2. sign, portent, prodigy, extraordinary thing seen as an omen
3. miracle; supernatural or divine work
4. atrocity, crime, terrible deed
5. something perplexing or puzzling, enigma, conundrum
6. report of something strange or extraordinary
7. 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:

Related terms

Descendants

• English: wonder

Adjective

wonder

1. exciting feelings of wonder; strange, extraordinary, wonderful
2. miraculous, supernatural, magical
3. excellent, wonderful, very good or admirable
4. dreadful, terrible, dire
5. (usually in the phrase wonder thing) perplexing, puzzling, surprising
6. great in degree, high, great
7. great in quantity, a great deal of, much

Adverb

wonder

1. to a great degree; very, extraordinarily, extremely

References

• “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.