amaze

Meaning

Verb

1. To fill (someone) with surprise and wonder; to astonish, to astound, to surprise.
2. (obsolete) To stun or stupefy (someone).
3. (obsolete) To bewilder or perplex (someone or oneself).
4. (obsolete) To fill (someone) with panic; to panic, to terrify.
5. To experience amazement; to be astounded.

Noun

1. Amazement, astonishment; (countable) an instance of this.
2. Fear, terror.
3. (obsolete) Stupefaction of the mind; bewilderment; (countable) an instance of this.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/əˈmeɪz/

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English *amasen, amase (“to bewilder, perplex”) (attested chiefly in the past participle form, and thus often difficult to distinguish from amased (adjective)), from Old English āmasian (“to confuse, astonish”), from ā- (perfective prefix) + *masian (“to confound, confuse, perplex; to amaze”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂- (“to beckon, signal”)). The English word is analysable as a- (intensifying prefix) + maze (“(archaic) to astonish, amaze, bewilder; to daze, stupefy”).
The noun is derived from Late Middle English amase, from the verb: see above.