Amaze \A*maze"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Amazed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Amazing.]
[Pref. a- + maze.]
1. To bewilder; to stupefy; to bring into a maze. [Obs.]
A labyrinth to amaze his foes. --Shak.
2. To confound, as by fear, wonder, extreme surprise; to
overwhelm with wonder; to astound; to astonish greatly.
``Amazing Europe with her wit.'' --Goldsmith.
And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not
this the son of David? --Matt. xii.
23.
Syn: To astonish; astound; confound; bewilder; perplex;
surprise.
Usage: Amaze, Astonish. Amazement includes the notion of
bewilderment of difficulty accompanied by surprise. It
expresses a state in which one does not know what to
do, or to say, or to think. Hence we are amazed at
what we can not in the least account for. Astonishment
also implies surprise. It expresses a state in which
one is stunned by the vastness or greatness of
something, or struck with some degree of horror, as
when one is overpowered by the ?normity of an act,
etc.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
|