Definition of AMAZE

amaze

Plural: amazes

Verb

Verb Forms: amazed, amazing, amazes

  • To surprise or impress someone greatly.
  • affect with wonder
    • "Your ability to speak six languages amazes me!"
  • be a mystery or bewildering to
  • To fill (someone) with surprise and wonder; to astonish, to astound, to surprise.
  • To stun or stupefy (someone).
  • To bewilder or perplex (someone or oneself).
  • To fill (someone) with panic; to panic, to terrify.
  • To experience amazement; to be astounded.

Noun

  • Amazement, astonishment; (countable) an instance of this.
  • Fear, terror.
  • Stupefaction of the mind; bewilderment; (countable) an instance of this.

Examples

  • He was amazed when he found that the girl was a robot.
  • I never cease to amaze myself with the obscure words I know.

Origin / 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.

Scrabble Score: 16

amaze: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
amaze: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
amaze: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 17

amaze: valid Words With Friends Word