wonder
pronunciation
How to pronounce wonder in British English:
UK [ˈwʌndə(r)]
How to pronounce wonder in American English:
US [ˈwʌndər]
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- Noun:
- the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
- something that causes feelings of wonder
- a state in which you want to learn more about something
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- Verb:
- have a wish or desire to know something
- place in doubt or express doubtful speculation
- be amazed at
Word Origin
- wonder
- wonder: [OE] Wonder is something of a mystery word. It is widespread in the Germanic languages (German has wunder, Dutch wonder, Swedish undran, and Danish undren, but its ultimate ancestry is unknown.
- wonder (n.)
- Old English wundor "marvelous thing, miracle, object of astonishment," from Proto-Germanic *wundran (cognates: Old Saxon wundar, Middle Dutch, Dutch wonder, Old High German wuntar, German wunder, Old Norse undr), of unknown origin. In Middle English it also came to mean the emotion associated with such a sight (late 13c.). To be no wonder was in Old English. The original wonder drug (1939) was Sulfanilamide.
- wonder (v.)
- Old English wundrian "be astonished," also "admire; make wonderful, magnify," from the source of wonder (n.). Cognate with Dutch wonderen, Old High German wuntaron, German wundern. Sense of "entertain some doubt or curiosity" is late 13c. Related: Wondered; wondering. Reflexive use (It wonders me that "I wonder why ...") was common in Middle English and as late as Tindale (1533), and is said to survive in Yorkshire/Lincolnshire. In Pennsylvania German areas it is idiomatic from German das wundert mich.
Example
- 1. I wonder how swarnlata felt about all this ?
- 2. Indian democracy is a wonder of the political world .
- 3. And then they wonder why they get sick .
- 4. He could do nothing but stand and wonder .
- 5. You might wonder which is sky , which is ground ?