surprise

The story

1. Latin · derived fromprendere
2. Latin · derived fromsuper-
3. Old French · derived fromsorprendre“to overtake”
4. Middle French · derived fromsurprise“an overtake”
5. Middle English · inherited fromsurprise
6. English todaysurprise

From Middle English surprise, borrowed from Middle French surprise (“an overtake”), nominal use of the past participle of Old French sorprendre (“to overtake”), from sor- (“over”) + prendre (“to take”), from Latin super- + Latin prendere, contracted from prehendere (“to grasp, seize”). Doublet of suppli.

Words from the same roots