stupefaction

See also: stupéfaction

English

Etymology

From Middle French stupéfaction, from Latin stupefaciō (“strike dumb, stun with amazement, stupefy”), from stupeō (“I am stunned, speechless”) (English stupid, stupor) + faciō (“do, make”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

stupefaction (countable and uncountable, plural stupefactions)

1. The state of extreme shock or astonishment.
2. A state of insensibility; stupor.
   • 1832, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Heath's Book of Beauty, 1833, The Knife, page 145:

     Suddenly roused from the state of stupefaction to which fear had reduced her, the female filled the air with shrieks. Disengaging herself from the officers, and rushing towards her husband, she clung with all her strength to his arm, imploring him, with frantic violence, not to let them kill her.

Related terms

• stupefication
• stupefy
• stupid
• stupor

Translations

the state of dismay; shock

Bulgarian: замайване (bg) c (zamajvane), зашеметяване (bg) n (zašemetjavane) German: Benommenheit (de) f, Schock (de) m, Betäubung (de) f, Bestürzung (de) f Greek: Ancient: κατάνυξις f (katánuxis) Ottoman Turkish: شاشقینلق (şaşkınlık) Russian: остолбене́ние (ru) n (ostolbenénije), оцепене́ние (ru) n (ocepenénije), сту́пор (ru) m (stúpor)