Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Astonishment

Definition: Astonishment

Astonishment

Noun

1. The feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising; "he looked at me in astonishment".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "astonishment" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)


Synonym: Astonishment

Synonym: amazement (n). (additional references)

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Synonyms within Context: Astonishment

ContextSynonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).

Wonder

Noun: wonder, marvel; astonishment, amazement, wonderment, bewilderment; amazedness; Adjective: admiration, awe; stupor, stupefaction; stound, fascination; sensation; surprise; (inexpectation) O.

Adjective: surprised; Verb: aghast, all agog, breathless, agape; open-mouthed; awestruck, thunderstruck, moonstruck, planet-struck; spellbound; lost in amazement, lost in wonder, lost in astonishment; struck all of a heap, unable to believe one's senses, like a duck ion thunder.

Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

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Crosswords: Astonishment

English words defined with "astonishment": Agazed, Amazedlybedazedaze, dumbfounded, Dumfound, dumfoundedflabbergastedgapemarvel, Mazedness-mentProdigiousnessStound, stun, stunning, stupefaction, stupefied, surprise, Surprise party, surprisedthunderstruck, To strike dumbWhew. (references)
Specialty definitions using "astonishment": Devil and Dr. FaustusHair stand on EndLochinvarNain, Nine Days' Wonder. (references)
Etymologies containing "astonishment": MazednessWhew. (references)

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Modern Usage: Astonishment

DomainUsage

Movie/TV Titles

Picture My Astonishment (1928)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Astonishment

DomainTitle

Books

  • Astonishment and Power: The Eyes of Understanding: Kongo Minkisi: Resonance, Transformation, and Rhyme: The Art of Renee Stout/2 Books in 1 (reference)

  • Customer Astonishment Handbook (reference)

  • The Astonishment of Words: An Experiment in the Comparison of Languages (reference)

  • The Wine of Astonishment (reference)

    (more book examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Use in Literature: Astonishment

TitleAuthorQuote

Emma

Austen, Jane

Sylvie and Bruno

Carroll, Lewis

Lady Muriel looked from one to the other in blank astonishment.

A Christmas Carol

Dickens, Charles

It was with great astonishment, and with a strange, inexplicable dread, that as he looked, he saw this bell begin to swing.

Les Miserables

Hugo, Victor

It was a sort of haggard astonishment.

Grapes of Wrath

Steinbeck, John

Ma looked in astonishment at the bar of iron.

Gulliver's Travels

Swift, Jonathan

But when he heard my voice, and found what I delivered to be regular and rational, he could not conceal his astonishment.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Usage Frequency: Astonishment

"Astonishment" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Astonishment" is used about 549 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)
Parts of SpeechPercentUsage per
100 Million Words
Rank in English
Noun (singular)100%54911,324

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Derived & Related Names: Astonishment

The following table summarizes names derived from the word "astonishment".
 
NameGenderLanguageMeaning
NarcisoN/ASpanish

Astonishment

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

 

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Expression: Astonishment

Expressions using "astonishment": in astonishment open eyed astonishment with astonishment. Additional references.

Hypenated Usage

Ending with "astonishment": mock-astonishment.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Astonishment

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.
 
ExpressionFrequency
per Day

art of astonishment

8
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translation: Astonishment

Language Translations for "astonishment"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Albanian

  

mahnitje (admiration, enthusiasm, marvel), habitje (amazement, wonder), habi (amazement, daze, surprise, wonder, wonderment), çudi (daze, maggot, marvel, miracle, oddity, surprise, wonder, wonderwork). (various references)

   

Arabic 

  

‏ذهول (absence, abstractedness, amazement, bewilderment, distraction, maze, stun, stupefaction, stupor, trance), ‏المثير للدهشة, ‏العجب (self-conceit, wonder), ‏الدهشة, ‏دهشة (amazement, stupefaction, wonder). (various references)

   

Bulgarian 

  

учудване (admiration, marvel, surprise, wonder, wonderment), удивление (admiration, amazement, exclamation, surprise, wonderment). (various references)

   

Chinese 

  

驚愕 (astound), 惊讶. (various references)

   

Czech

  

podiv, údiv, úžas (bewilderment, stupefaction, surprise, wonderment). (various references)

   

Danish

  

forbavselse (surprise, wonder). (various references)

   

Dutch

  

verwondering (surprise, wonder), verbaasdheid (surprise, wonder), bevreemding (surprise, wonder). (various references)

   

Finnish

  

kummatus (amazement), ihmettely (surprise, wonder), hämmästys (amazement, surprise), ällistys (amazement). (various references)

   

French

  

ahurissement, surprise, stupeur, stupéfaction, étonnement. (various references)

   

Frisian

  

ferheardens (surprise, wonder), ferbazing (surprise, wonder), benijing (surprise, wonder). (various references)

   

German

  

verwunderung (amazement, mystification, surprise, wonder, wonderment), erstaunen (amaze, amazement, amazing, astonish, be amazed, be astonished, bewilderment, marvel, marvel at, stun, wonder, wondrousness), überraschung (surprise). (various references)

   

Greek 

  

κατάπληξη (amazement, consternation, stupor, surprisal), έκπληξη (amazement, surprise, wonder, wonderment). (various references)

   

Hebrew 

  

תמי"" (amazement, mazeiness, surprise, wonder), ת""מ" (consternation, dismay, shock, stupefaction), "שתוממות (wonder), ב"י" (bewilderment). (various references)

   

Hungarian

  

csodálkozás (amazement, marvel, wonder, wondering, wonderment). (various references)

   

Icelandic

  

undrun (surprise, wonder), furða (surprise, wonder). (various references)

   

Indonesian

  

tegunan, kekaguman (admiration, amazement), getun (surprise). (various references)

   

Italian

  

stupore (amazement, daze, stupefaction, stupor, surprise, wonder, wonderment). (various references)

   

Japanese Kanji 

  

驚き (surprise, wonder), 吃驚 (be amazed, be frightened, be surprised), 感歎 (admiration), 愕然 , 喫驚 (be amazed, be frightened, be surprised). (various references)

   

Japanese Katakana 

  

おどろき (surprise, wonder), がくぜ", きっきょう (be amazed, be frightened, be surprised, fortune, sunshine and shadow), びっくり (be amazed, be frightened, be surprised), か"た" (admiration, end of wind instrument, one's inner being, simple, the liver and gall bladder, wonder). (various references)

   

Korean 

  

경천동지. (various references)

   

Manx

  

thanvaneys (amazement), thanvaanys, ard-yindys (amazement, consternation, phenomenon). (various references)

   

Norwegian

  

forbauselse (surprise, wonder). (various references)

   

Papiamen

  

asombro (surprise, wonder). (various references)

   

Pig Latin

  

astonishmentay

   

Portuguese

  

assombro (amaze, amazement, daze, marvel, miracle, stupefaction, wonderment), admiração (admiration, admiring, amazement, awe, daze, marvel, surprise, wonder, worship), perplexidade (abashment, baffle, flinch, knot, maze, maziness, mind-breaker, nonplus, perplexity, pucker, puzzle, puzzlement, quandary), espanto (amazement, bewilderment, daze, fright, marvel, scare, surprise, wonder, wonderment, wonderwork). (various references)

   

Romanian

  

uluialã (amazement, giddiness), uimire (amazement, gape, stupor, surprise, wonder), surprizã (surprise), surprindere (surprise, wonder), mirare (surprise, wonder). (various references)

   

Russian 

  

удивление (amazement, gawd, hey-day, surprisal, surprise, wonder, wonderment), изумление (amazement, bewilderment, daze, startlement, wonder). (various references)

   

Scottish

  

ìonghnadh (wonder). (various references)

   

Serbo-Croatian

  

zaprepašćenje (dismay). (various references)

   

Spanish

  

asombro (amaze, amazement, astonish, consternation, stupor, surprise, wonder, wondrousness), pasmo (amazement), estupor (amazement, insensibility, sleep, stupor, torpor), espanto (amazement, consternation, dismay, fearfulness, fright, frightfulness, ghost, scariness, terror, threat), escándalo (commotion, disgrace, furor, furore, fuss, noise, notoriety, outrage, row, scandal, scene, sense of shock, uproar). (various references)

   

Swedish

  

förvåning (amazement, surprise, wonder). (various references)

   

Thai

  

ความประหลา"ใจ. (various references)

   

Turkish

  

hayret (amazement, bewilderment, consternation, gape, gracious goodness, gracious me, hi, maze, mirabile dictu, my, my hat, nonplus, surprise, what a surprise, what indeed, wonder, wonderment, wow), şaşma, şaşkınlık (amazement, being surprised, bewilderment, blankness, confusion, consternation, daze, discomfiture, embarrassment, fuddle, gape, maze, muddle, nonplus, perplexity, puzzle, puzzlement, surprise, wonder, wonderment), şaşırma. (various references)

   

Turkmen 

  

haяran (suprise). (various references)

   

Ukrainian

  

здивування (amaze, amazement, daze, marvel, perplex, quandary, surprise, wonder), подив (amaze, daze, perplexity, puzzle, wonder, wonderment). (various references)

   

Vietnamese 

  

sự ngạc nhiên (admiration, daze, surprisal, wonderment). (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Ancestral Language Translations: Astonishment

LanguagePeriodTranslations
Latin500 BCE-Modern

admiratio, admiratione, admirationem, stupor. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Bible Trace: Astonishment

LanguageDateSourceMark Chapter 5, Verse 42
Greek (transliterated)250 BCSeptuagintKai euqewV anesth to korasion kai periepatei hn gar etwn dwdeka kai exesthsan ekstasei megalh
Latin405VulgateEt confestim surrexit puella et ambulabat erat autem annorum duodecim et obstipuerunt stupore maximo
Old English990West Saxon& hyo sona aras & eode. Soðlice hyowæs twelf wintre & ealle hyo wundredon.mycelere wundrunge.
Middle English1395WyclifAnd anoon the damysel roos, and walkide; and sche was of twelue yeer. And thei weren abaischid with a greet stonying. And he comaundide to hem greetli, that no man schulde wite it.
Renaissance English1526TyndaleAnd streyght the mayden arose and went on her fete. For she was of the age of twelve yeres. And they were astonied at it out of measure.
Jacobean English1611King JamesAnd straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.
Victorian English1833WebsterAnd forthwith the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.
Basic English1964OgdenAnd the young girl got up straight away, and was walking about; she being twelve years old. And they were overcome with wonder.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Matched Bible Translations: Astonishment

LanguageMark Chapter 5, Verse 42
CebuanoDihadiha mibangon ang bata ug naglakaw; kay siya napulog-duha na man ka tuig ang idad. Ug dihadiha giabut silag dakung kahibulong.
CroatianI djevojka odmah usta i poèe hodati. Bijaše joj dvanaest godina. I u tren ostadoše zapanjeni, u èudu veliku.
DanishOg straks stod Pigen op og gik omkring; thi hun var tolv År gammel. Og de bleve straks overmåde forfærdede
DutchEn terstond stond het dochtertje op, en wandelde; want het was twaalf jaren oud; en zij ontzetten zich met grote ontzetting.
FinnishJa heti tyttö nousi ja käveli. Sillä hän oli kaksitoistavuotias. Ja he joutuivat suuren hämmästyksen valtaan.
FrenchAussitôt la jeune fille se leva, et se mit marcher; car elle avait douze ans. Et ils furent dans un grand étonnement.
GaelicIs dh` eirich an nighean san uair, is choisich i, oir bha i da bhliadhna dhiag a dh` aois. Agus b` anabarrach an t-iognadh a ghabh iad.
GermanUnd alsbald stand das Mägdlein auf und wandelte; es war aber zwölf Jahre alt. Und sie entsetzten sich über die Maßen.
Haitian CreoleMenm lè a, ti fi a leve, li pran mache, li te gen douzan. Se pa ti sezi moun yo te sezi lè yo wè sa.
HungarianÉs a leányka azonnal fölkele és jár vala. Mert tizenkét esztendõs vala. És nagy csodálkozással csodálkozának.
Indonesian-Terjemahan LamaMaka seketika itu juga budak itu pun bangunlah, lalu berjalan; karena umurnya sudah sampai dua belas tahun. Maka tercengang-cenganglah mereka itu sekalian serta heran terlalu sangat.
MaoriNa whakatika tonu ake te kotiro, a haere ana; kotahi tekau ma rua hoki ona tau. Na ko te tino miharotanga i miharo ai ratou.
NorwegianOg straks stod piken op og gikk omkring; for hun var tolv år gammel. Og de blev storlig forferdet.
PortugueseImediatamente a menina se levantou, e pôs-se a andar, pois tinha doze anos. E logo foram tomados de grande espanto.   
RumanianKndatq fetiya s`a sculat, wi a knceput sq umble; cqci era de doisprezece ani. Ei au rqmas kncremeniyi.
ShuarNuwach tuse Uwí takakuya nu, Nú chichamaik nantaki wekasamiayi. Túramtai nui pujuarmiania nu ti Enentáimprarmiayi.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Derivations & Misspellings: Astonishment

Derivations

Words beginning with "astonishment": astonishments. (additional references)


Misspellings

"Astonishment" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: aastonishment. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Astonishment"

# of Phoneme MatchesPronunciationWord(s) rhyming with "astonishment" (pronounced ustÄ"nishmunt)
7-n i sh m u n tbanishment, diminishment, garnishment, punishment, replenishment.
6-i sh m u n taccomplishment, blandishment, disestablishment, embellishment, establishment, extinguishment, impoverishment, nourishment, refurbishment.
5-sh m u n trefreshment.
4-m u n tabandonment, abatement, accompaniment, accouterment, achievement, acknowledgement, acknowledgment, adamant, adjournment, adjustment, adornment, advancement, advertisement, advisement, aggrandizement, agreement, ailment, alignment, allotment, amazement, amendment, amusement, announcement, annulment, antigovernment, apartment, appeasement, appointment, apportionment, argument, armament, arraignment, arrangement, assessment, assignment, assortment, atonement, attachment, attainment, basement, battlement, bemusement, bereavement, betterment, bewilderment, bombardment, claimant, Clement, commandment, commencement, commitment, compartment, complement, comportment, concealment, condiment, confinement, consignment, containment, contentment, copayment, curtailment, debarment, debasement, deferment, department, deployment, deportment, derailment, detachment, determent, detriment, development, disagreement, disappointment, disarmament, disbarment, disbursement, discernment, discouragement, disenchantment, disenfranchisement, disengagement, disgruntlement, disillusionment, disinvestment, dismantlement, dismemberment, displacement, divestment, dormant, easement, element, embankment, embarrassment, embayment, embezzlement, embodiment, emplacement, employment, empowerment, enactment, encampment, enchantment, encirclement, encouragement, encroachment, endangerment, endearment, endorsement, endowment, enforcement, engagement, enhancement, enjoyment, enlargement, enlightenment, enlistment, enrichment, enrollment, enslavement, entanglement, entertainment, enticement, entitlement, entombment, entrapment, entrenchment, environment, equipment, escapement, escarpment, estrangement, excitement, excrement, experiment, figment, filament, formant, fragment, fulfillment, garment, government, harassment, impairment, impeachment, impediment, implement, impoundment, impressment, imprisonment, improvement, incitement, inclement, increment, indictment, inducement, informant, infotainment, infringement, installment, instrument, integument, internment, intersegment, investment, involvement, judgement, judgment, ligament, maltreatment, management, measurement, micromanagement, misgovernment, misjudgment, mismanagement, misstatement, mistreatment, moment, monument, movement, nongovernment, nonmanagement, nonpayment, ointment, ornament, orpiment, outplacement, overpayment, overstatement, parchment, parliament, pavement, payment, pigment, placement, postponement, postretirement, predicament, prejudgment, prepayment, presentment, procurement, pronouncement, puzzlement, readjustment, realignment, reappointment, reapportionment, rearmament, rearrangement, reassessment, reassignment, recruitment, redeployment, redevelopment, reemployment, reenactment, refinement, regiment, reimbursement, reinforcement, reinstatement, reinvestment, repayment, replacement, requirement, resentment, resettlement, restatement, retirement, retrenchment, rudiment, sacrament, sediment, segment, sentiment, settlement, shipment, statement, supplement, temperament, tenement, testament, tournament, treatment, underdevelopment, underemployment, undergarment, underpayment, understatement, unemployment, vehement, wonderment.
3-u n taberrant, abhorrent, abortifacient, absent, absorbent, abstinent, abundant, accelerant, accident, accountant, adherent, adjacent, adjutant, adolescent, afferent, affiant, affluent, agent, ambient, ambivalent, ancient, antecedent, antidepressant, antioxidant, apparent, applicant, ardent, argent, arrant, arrogant, ascendant, aspirant, assailant, assistant, astringent, attendant, belligerent, beneficent, benevolent, blatant, brilliant, buoyant, celebrant, clairvoyant, client, coefficient, cogent, cognizant, coherent, coincident, combatant, competent, complacent, complainant, complaisant, compliant, component, concomitant, concurrent, confident, confluent, consequent, consistent, consonant, constant, constituent, consultant, contaminant, contestant, continent, contingent, convalescent, convenient, convent, convergent, conversant, coolant, corespondent, cormorant, correspondent, Courant, covenant, Crescent, crosscurrent, current, decadent, decedent, decent, declarant, decongestant, defendant, defiant, deficient, defoliant, delinquent, deodorant, dependent, depressant, descendant, descendent, despondent, detergent, determinant, deterrent, deviant, different, diligent, discordant, disinfectant, disobedient, dispersant, dissident, dissonant, distant, divalent, divergent, docent, dominant, ebullient, efferent, effervescent, efficient, effluent, elegant, elephant, eloquent, emergent, emigrant, eminent, entrant, equivalent, errant, esculent, evanescent, evident, excellent, exigent, existent, exorbitant, expectant, expectorant, expedient, exponent, extant, extravagant, exuberant, exultant, Fabricant, fervent, flagrant, flamboyant, flatulent, flippant, fluent, fluorescent, fragrant, fraudulent, frequent, gallant, giant, grandiloquent, grandparent, hesitant, hydrant, ignorant, immanent, immigrant, imminent, impatient, impertinent, important, impotent, imprudent, inadvertent, incandescent, incessant, incident, incipient, incoherent, incompetent, inconsistent, incontinent, inconvenient, incumbent, indecent, independent, indifferent, indigent, indignant, indolent, indulgent, inefficient, infant, infrequent, ingredient, inhabitant, inhalant, inherent, innocent, inpatient, insignificant, insistent, insolent, insolvent, instant, insufficient, insurgent, intelligent, intercurrent, interdependent, intermittent, intolerant, intransigent, invariant, iridescent, irrelevant, irreverent, irritant, itinerant, jubilant, latent, leant, lenient, lieutenant, litigant, lubricant, lucent, luminescent, luxuriant, magnificent, malevolent, malignant, merchant, migrant, militant, miscreant, monovalent, mordant, mutant, nascent, negligent, noncombatant, nonexistent, nonresident, nonviolent, nutrient, obedient, observant, obsolescent, occupant, odorant, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, operant, opponent, opulent, outpatient, overconfident, oxidant, pageant, parent, participant, patent, patient, peasant, penchant, pendant, penitent, pennant, percipient, permanent, persistent, pertinent, petulant, pheasant, piquant, pleasant, pliant, poignant, pollutant, potent, preadolescent, precedent, predominant, preeminent, pregnant, prescient, present, prevalent, proficient, prominent, propellant, proponent, protestant, provident, prudent, prurient, pungent, pursuant, quadrant, quiescent, quotient, radiant, rampant, reagent, recalcitrant, recent, recipient, recombinant, recurrent, redundant, refrigerant, Regent, registrant, relevant, reliant, reluctant, reminiscent, remnant, repellent, repentant, repugnant, resident, resilient, resistant, resonant, resplendent, respondent, resultant, resurgent, retardant, reticent, reverent, rodent, ruminant, salient, seafront, sealant, semipermanent, Sequent, sergeant, serpent, servant, significant, silent, solvent, somnolent, stagnant, stimulant, strident, stringent, student, subcontinent, subsequent, subservient, succulent, sufficient, supergiant, superintendent, supplicant, suppressant, surfactant, talent, tangent, tenant, tetravalent, tolerant, torrent, transcendent, transient, translucent, transparent, trenchant, trident, triumphant, truant, truculent, tumescent, turbulent, tyrant, undercurrent, unimportant, unpleasant, unrepentant, urgent, vacant, vagrant, valiant, variant, verdant, vibrant, vigilant, violent, virulent, warrant.

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

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Anagrams: Astonishment

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Words within the letters "a-e-h-i-m-n-n-o-s-s-t-t"

-2 letters: mentations, nontheists.

-3 letters: anthemion, hemostats, intonates, mentation, misatones, monteiths, nattiness, nominates, nontheist, ointments, sensation, stannites, thionates, tinstones.

-4 letters: amitoses, amniotes, amosites, anemosis, anthesis, antsiest, astonies, astonish, atheisms, atheists, atomises, atomists, enations, etatisms, hastiest, hematins, hemostat, hesitant, histones, hominess, insanest, instants, instates, intonate, manihots, mannites, mannoses, mansions, mantises, matiness, mentions, mestinos, misatone, misstate, moistens.

 Words containing the letters "a-e-h-i-m-n-n-o-s-s-t-t"
 

+1 letter: astonishments.

 

+4 letters: nonestablishment.

 

+5 letters: anthropocentrisms, nonestablishments.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

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INDEX

1. Definition
2. Synonyms
3. Crosswords
4. Usage: Modern
5. Usage: Commercial
6. Quotations: Fiction
7. Usage Frequency
8. Names: Derived from
9. Expressions
10. Expressions: Internet
11. Translations: Modern
12. Translations: Ancient
13. Bible Trace
14. Derivations
15. Rhymes
16. Anagrams
17. Bibliography


  

Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.