different between astound vs stagger

English

Etymology

From Middle English astouned, astoned, astuned, past participle of astounen, astonen, astunen (“to astonish”). More at astonish.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??sta?nd/
• Rhymes: -a?nd

Verb

astound (third-person singular simple present astounds, present participle astounding, simple past and past participle astounded)

1. To astonish, bewilder or dazzle.
   • 1637, John Milton, Comus, London: Humphrey Robinson, p. 8,^[1]

     These thoughts may startle well, but not astound

     The vertuous mind […]

   • 1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, Chapter 22,^[2]

     The yell which Isaac raised at this unfeeling communication made the very vault to ring, and astounded the two Saracens so much that they let go their hold of the Jew.

   • 1848, Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton, Chapter 6,^[3]

     The vices of the poor sometimes astound us here; but when the secrets of all hearts shall be made known, their virtues will astound us in far greater degree. Of this I am certain.

   • 1982, Paul Auster, “On the High Wire” in The Art of Hunger, Los Angeles: Sun & Moon Press, 1992, p. 240,^[4]

     A young man had strung a wire between the towers of Notre-Dame Cathedral and walked and juggled and danced on it for three hours, astounding the crowds of people below.

Derived terms

• astoundable
• astounded
• astounder
• astounding

Translations

Adjective

astound (comparative more astound, superlative most astound)

1. (obsolete) Stunned; astounded; astonished.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, London: William Ponsonbie, Book 1, Canto 9, p. 129,^[5]

     […] his hollow eyne

     Lookt deadly dull, and stared as astound;

   • 1760, George Alexander Stevens, The History of Tom Fool, London: T. Waller, Volume 2, Chapter 2, p. 9,^[6]

     For some Moments the Esquire stood astound, he rubb’d his Eyes, look’d on his Sister, stared at the Maid:

   • 1810, Walter Scott, The Lady of the Lake, Edinburgh: John Ballantyne, Canto 2, Stanza 31, p. 36,^[7]

     Thus Ellen, dizzy and astound,

     As sudden ruin yawned around,

     By crossing terrors wildly tossed,

     Still for the Douglas fearing most,

     Could scarce the desperate thought withstand,

     To buy his safety with her hand.

Further reading

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

English

Etymology

From Middle English stageren, stakeren, from Old Norse stakra (“to push, stagger”). Cognate with dialectal Danish stagre.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?stæ??/?
• (US) IPA^(key): /?stæ??/
• Rhymes: -æ??(r)

Noun

stagger (plural staggers)

1. An unsteady movement of the body in walking or standing as if one were about to fall; a reeling motion
   • 7 October 2012, Paolo Bandini in The Guardian, Denver Broncos 21 New England Patriots 31 - as it happened

     Put down the rosary beads folks, I believe hell may just have frozen over. Peyton Manning drops back, sees nothing open and runs for a first down. If you can call that running. More like the stagger of a wounded rhino. Did the job, though

   • 1861, Ellen Wood, East Lynne Chapter 39

     Afy slowly gathered in the sense of the words. She gasped twice, as if her breath had gone, and then, with a stagger and a shiver, fell heavily to the ground.

   • 1843, Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol Stave 2

     And when old Fezziwig and Mrs. Fezziwig had gone all through the dance; advance and retire; both hands to your partner, bow and courtesy, corkscrew, thread the needle, and back again to your place; Fezziwig "cut"—cut so deftly that he appeared to wink with his legs, and came upon his feet again without a stagger.

2. (veterinary medicine) A disease of horses and other animals, attended by reeling, unsteady gait or sudden falling

3. Bewilderment; perplexity.
4. The spacing out of various actions over time.
   • 19 April 2016, Rachel Roddy in The Guardian, Rachel Roddy’s Roman spring vegetable stew recipe

     I don’t include cured pork, although it is very nice, and rather than putting everything in the pan at once I prefer a stagger of ingredients, which ensures each one gets the right amount of time.

5. (motor racing) The difference in circumference between the left and right tires on a racing vehicle. It is used on oval tracks to make the car turn better in the corners.
6. (aviation) The horizontal positioning of a biplane, triplane, or multiplane's wings in relation to one another.

Translations

Verb

stagger (third-person singular simple present staggers, present participle staggering, simple past and past participle staggered)

1. Sway unsteadily, reel, or totter.
   1. (intransitive) In standing or walking, to sway from one side to the other as if about to fall; to stand or walk unsteadily; to reel or totter.

      She began to stagger across the room.

      • Deep was the wound; he staggered with the blow.

   2. (transitive) To cause to reel or totter.

      The powerful blow of his opponent's fist staggered the boxer.
   3. (intransitive) To cease to stand firm; to begin to give way; to fail.
      • 1708, Joseph Addison, The Present State of the War, and the Necessity of an Augmentation

        The enemy staggers.

2. Doubt, waver, be shocked.
   1. (intransitive) To begin to doubt and waver in purposes; to become less confident or determined; to hesitate.

      • He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief.

   2. (transitive) To cause to doubt and waver; to make to hesitate; to make less steady or confident; to shock.

      He will stagger the committee when he presents his report.

      • 1640, James Howell, England's Teares for the present Warres

        whosoever will be curious to read the future story of this intricate war , if it be possible to compile a story of it , he will find himself much staggered.

      • 1796, Edmund Burke, a letter to a noble lord

        Grants to the house of Russell were so enormous, as not only to outrage economy, but even to stagger credibility.

3. (transitive) Have multiple groups doing the same thing in a uniform fashion, but starting at different, evenly-spaced, times or places (attested from 1856).
   1. To arrange (a series of parts) on each side of a median line alternately, as the spokes of a wheel or the rivets of a boiler seam.
   2. To arrange similar objects such that each is ahead or above and to one side of the next.

      We will stagger the starting positions for the race on the oval track.

   3. To schedule in intervals.

      We will stagger the run so the faster runners can go first, then the joggers.

Translations

See also

• bestagger
• staggeringly
• staggers

References

Anagrams

• gagster, gargets, taggers