different between astonish vs electrify

English

Etymology

From an alteration (due to words ending in -ish: abolish, banish, cherish, establish, furnish, etc.) of earlier astony, astone, aston, astun (“to astonish, confound, stun”), from Middle English astonien, astunien, astonen, astunen, astounen (“to astound, stun, astonish”), of uncertain origin, possibly from Old English *?stunian, from ?- (perfective prefix) + stunian (“to make a loud sound, crash, resound, roar, bang, dash, impinge, knock, confound, astonish, stupefy”), from Proto-Germanic *stun?n? (“to sound, crash, bang, groan”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ten-, *(s)ton- (“to thunder, roar, groan”), equivalent to a- +? stun. Compare German erstaunen (“to astonish, amaze”). Another possible source, or else influence, is Old French estoner, estuner, estonuer, estonner (“to stun”), either from an assumed Vulgar Latin *extonare (“to strike with thunder, daze, stupefy, stun”) from Late Latin *extono (ex +? tono), or from Old Frankish *stunen (“to stun”), related to Middle High German stunen (“to knock, strike, stun”) and then, if not the source, still a cognate of the word astonish.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??st?n??/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??st?n??/
• Hyphenation: as?ton?ish

Verb

astonish (third-person singular simple present astonishes, present participle astonishing, simple past and past participle astonished)

1. To surprise greatly.
   • 1813, Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice:

     "I have no right to give my opinion," said Wickham, "as to his being agreeable or otherwise. I am not qualified to form one. I have known him too long and too well to be a fair judge. It is impossible for me to be impartial. But I believe your opinion of him would in general astonish — and perhaps you would not express it quite so strongly anywhere else. Here you are in your own family."

Synonyms

• (to surprise): astound, flabbergast, surprise

Derived terms

Translations

English

Etymology

From electric +? -ify

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??l?kt??fa?/

Verb

electrify (third-person singular simple present electrifies, present participle electrifying, simple past and past participle electrified)

1. (transitive) To supply electricity to; to charge with electricity.

2. (transitive) To cause electricity to pass through; to affect by electricity; to give an electric shock to.

3. (transitive) To adapt (a home, farm, village, city, industry, railroad) for electric power.
4. (transitive) To strongly excite, especially by something delightful or inspiring; to thrill.

   Her performance in the play electrified the audience.

   • 1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James II Chapter I

     If the sovereign were now to immure a subject in defiance of the writ of habeas corpus […] the whole nation would be instantly electrified by the news.
5. (intransitive) To become electric.

Derived terms

• electrification

Related terms

• electric
• electricity

Translations

Further reading

• electrify in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• electrify in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• electrify at OneLook Dictionary Search