stupire

to amaze

verb stoo-PEE-reh Rare

Origin: From Latin stupere (to be stunned), the same root as English 'stupid' and 'stupor'.

Also means

to astonish

Usage Note

Stupire can be used transitively (la sua bellezza mi ha stupito = her beauty amazed me) or reflexively (mi sono stupito = I was amazed). It takes avere in compound tenses when transitive. The related adjective is stupefacente (astonishing) and the noun stupore (amazement, stupor — a false friend in English where 'stupor' implies dullness).

Examples

"La sua performance ha stupito il pubblico."

Natural Translation

His performance amazed the audience.

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