wonder

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English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English wonder, wunder, from Old English wundor (“wonder, miracle, marvel, portent, horror; wondrous thing, monster”), from Proto-Germanic *wundrą (“miracle, wonder”), from Proto-Indo-European *wen- (“to wish for, desire, strive for, win, love”). 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 and Swedish under (“wonder, miracle”), Icelandic undur (“wonder”). Possible extra-Germanic cognate include Albanian ëndërr (“dream, wonder”) geg var. andër, ondër.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

wonder (plural wonders)

  1. Something that causes amazement or awe, a marvel.
  2. Something astonishing and seemingly inexplicable.
    The idea was so crazy that it is a wonder that anyone went along with it.
  3. Someone very talented at something, a genius.
    He's a wonder at cooking.
  4. The sense or emotion which can be inspired by something curious or unknown.
    • Plato, Theætetus (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).
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from wonder (noun)
Translations[edit]
something that causes amazement or awe, a marvel
something astonishing and seemingly inexplicable
someone very talented at something, a genius

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old English wundrian.

Noun[edit]

wonder (plural wonders)

  1. (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.
Translations[edit]
informal: thought

Verb[edit]

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

  1. To ponder about something.
    I wonder whether it is possible to find an easy and effective solution.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
to ponder about something

Statistics[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle Dutch wonder, wunder, from Old Dutch wundar, from Proto-Germanic *wundrą, from Proto-Indo-European *wen- (“to wish for, desire, strive for, win, love”). Compare Low German wunder, wunner, German Wunder, West Frisian wonder, wûnder, English wonder, Danish under.

Noun[edit]

wonder n (plural wonderen, diminutive wondertje)

  1. miracle

Synonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

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