marvel

See also: Marvel

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

marvel

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• marvail, marvell

Etymology

First attested from 1300, from Middle English merveile, from Old French merveille (“a wonder”), from Vulgar Latin *miribilia, from Latin mīrābilia (“wonderful things”), from neuter plural of mīrābilis (“strange, wonderful”), from mīror (“I wonder at”), from mīrus (“wonderful”). Doublet of mirabilia.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑɹvl̩/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑːvl̩/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)vəl
• Hyphenation: mar‧vel

Noun

marvel (plural marvels)

1. That which causes wonder; a prodigy; a portent.

   Synonym: lollapalooza

   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXIV, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 261:

     The mysteries of this wonderful universe rise more palpable upon the departing spirit, so soon to mingle with their marvels.

   • 2017 December 1, Tom Breihan, “Mad Max: Fury Road might already be the best action movie ever made”, in The Onion AV Club‎:

     He found ways to film fiery, elaborate car-wrecks, keeping everything visually clear and beautiful without killing or even seriously injuring anyone. On a sheer technical level, the movie is a marvel.

2. (archaic) Wonder, astonishment.
   • c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

     No maruel though you bite so sharp at reasons,

   • 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC, page 171:

     You read not any where that Eſau had faith, no not ſo much as a little: Therefore no marvel, if where, the fleſh only bears ſway […]

   • 1805, Walter Scott, “(please specify the page)”, in The Lay of the Last Minstrel: A Poem, London: […] [James Ballantyne] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], and A[rchibald] Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:

     Use lessens marvel.

Derived terms

• marvel grass
• marvelous, marvellous
• marvel of Peru

Translations

miracle — see miracle

astonishment — see astonishment

wonder — see wonder

Verb

marvel (third-person singular simple present marvels, present participle (US) marveling or (UK) marvelling, simple past and past participle (US) marveled or (UK) marvelled)

1. (intransitive) To become filled with wonderment or admiration; to be amazed at something.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 John 3:13, column 1:

     Marueile not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

   • 1923, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Men marvel at the works of man”, in The Complete Poems of Robert Louis Stevenson, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, page 466:

     Men marvel at the works of man / And with unstinted praises sing / The greatness of some worldly thing / Encompassed during one life's span;

   • 2020 October 27, Helen Sullivan, “'Very nice!': Kazakhstan adopts Borat's catchphrase in new tourism campaign”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     The ads show tourists hiking with a selfie stick, (“Very nice!”), drinking fermented horse milk (“Mm, that’s actually very nice!”), marvelling at the architecture (“Wow, very nice!”) and posing for a photograph with Kazakhs in traditional dress (“That’s very nice!”).

   • 2021 June 25, Richard Fisher, “Generational amnesia: The memory loss that harms the planet”, in BBC News‎:

     If Cleopatra or Elizabeth I were to time-travel to the present day, they would marvel at a world we take for granted, with its vaccines and antibiotics, and a flushing toilet and fridge in every home.

2. (obsolete, transitive) To wonder at.
   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], page 184:

     I maruell that her Grace did leaue it out.

   • c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v], page 200:

     I maruell why I answer'd not againe,

3. (obsolete, transitive, used impersonally) To cause to wonder or be surprised.
   • 15th century, Anonymous, Richard the Redeless

     But much now me marvelleth.

Derived terms

• marveler
• marveller
• marvelment
• marvelry
• marvelsome
• outmarvel
• unmarveling
• unmarvelling

Translations

become filled with wonderment

Bulgarian: удивлявам се (udivljavam se) Chinese: Mandarin: 驚嘆 / 惊叹 (zh) (jīngtàn) Czech: žasnout (cs) impf, užasnout pf Esperanto: miregi Finnish: ihmetellä (fi), kummastella (fi), kummaksua (fi), äimistellä (fi), ihastella (fi), ällistellä French: être (fr) émerveillé (fr), être (fr) sublimé (fr) Galician: marabillarse German: wundern (de) Greek: θαυμάζω (el) (thavmázo) Ancient: θαυμάζω (thaumázō) Hungarian: ámul (hu) Irish: Old Irish: ad·amraigedar Italian: stupirsi (it), meravigliarsi (it) Latin: miror Maori: mīharo, māharo, whakamīharo Russian: восторга́ться (ru) impf (vostorgátʹsja), восхища́ться (ru) impf (vosxiščátʹsja), изумля́ться (ru) impf (izumljátʹsja), недоумева́ть (ru) impf (nedoumevátʹ), удивля́ться (ru) impf (udivljátʹsja)

Further reading

• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors ((Can we date this quote?)), “marvel”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• vermal