flabbergast English · revision 2449

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈflæbəɡɑːst/ ''(UK)''; /ˈflæbɚˌɡæst/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is of unknown or uncertain origin.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline) It may come from a dialect, since it was noted as a Sussex word in 1823,^(Etymonline) and it may be an arbitrary formation from [[flabby]] or ''flapper'' and [[aghast]].^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) Barnhart rejects a link with Scots ''flabrigastit'' “worn out”, which appears only later.^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To astonish utterly, leaving someone unable to speak or act (1772).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In 1772 a magazine mentioned ''flabbergasted'', together with ''bored'', as a new fashionable word.^(Etymonline) The meaning has stayed the same, and the past participle ''flabbergasted'' is the commonest form.^(Etymonline)^(Wiktionary) The noun ''flabbergastation'' is recorded in 1856.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1772 – to astonish utterly.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1823 – noted as a Sussex word.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1856 – ''flabbergastation''.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To overwhelm with surprise or bewilderment; to astound.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[flabbergastingly]]

+ * [[flabbergaster]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[aghast]]

+ * [[flabby]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Random House lists ''amaze'', ''astonish'', ''stagger'', ''nonplus'' and ''confound'' as synonyms.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}