surprise
/səpˈɹaɪz/sur-PRYZ
/sɚpˈɹaɪz/sur-PRYZ
Meaningan overtaking
Common meaning: something unexpected
- surover, above
- pristo grasp, seizeLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1440 · scan
‘over, above’ + ‘to grasp, seize’ → surprise
Journey through time
- Latinprehendō, prehēnsum‘to grasp, seize’
- Old Frenchsorprisesource
- Englishsurprise‘something unexpected’ · today
sur- also in: surfacesurplussurvive
pris also in: prisonapprehendcomprehendprehensile
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin prehendō ‘to grasp, seize’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry prehendō, p. 1440 · dictionary scan
Roots
- prehendō, prehēnsum Latin “to grasp, seize”
Related words
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app