From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Astonish \As*ton"ish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Astonished}; p. pr.
& vb. n. {Astonishing}.] [OE. astonien, astunian, astonen,
OF. estoner, F. ['e]tonner, fr. L. ex out + tonare to
thunder, but perhaps influenced by E. stun. See {Thunder},
{Astound}, {Astony}.]
1. To stun; to render senseless, as by a blow. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
Enough, captain; you have astonished him. [Fluellen
had struck Pistol]. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
The very cramp-fish [i. e., torpedo] . . . being
herself not benumbed, is able to astonish others.
--Holland.
[1913 Webster]
2. To strike with sudden fear, terror, or wonder; to amaze;
to surprise greatly, as with something unaccountable; to
confound with some sudden emotion or passion.
[1913 Webster]
Musidorus . . . had his wits astonished with sorrow.
--Sidney.
[1913 Webster]
I, Daniel . . . was astonished at the vision. --Dan.
viii. 27.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: To amaze; astound; overwhelm; surprise.
Usage: {Astonished}, {Surprised}. We are surprised at what is
unexpected. We are astonished at what is above or
beyond our comprehension. We are taken by surprise. We
are struck with astonishment. --C. J. Smith. See
{Amaze}.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
astonished
adj 1: filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise
or shock; "an amazed audience gave the magician a
standing ovation"; "I stood enthralled, astonished by the
vastness and majesty of the cathedral"; "astounded
viewers wept at the pictures from the Oklahoma City
bombing"; "stood in stunned silence"; "stunned scientists
found not one but at least three viruses" [syn: {amazed},
{astonied}, {astonished}, {astounded}, {stunned}]
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