stupefaction

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”).

noun

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

Attribution / Disclaimer All definitions come directly from Wiktionary using the Wiktextract library. We do not edit or curate the definitions for any words, if you feel the definition listed is incorrect or offensive please suggest modifications directly to the source (wiktionary/stupefaction), any changes made to the source will update on this page periodically.