Surprise etymology

English

English word surprise comes from Old French (842-ca. 1400) pren-, Old French (842-ca. 1400) sur- (Over, on top of.)

Detailed word origin of surprise

Dictionary entry Language Definition
pren- Old French (842-ca. 1400) (fro)
sur- Old French (842-ca. 1400) (fro) Over, on top of.
sousprendre Old French (842-ca. 1400) (fro)
surprise Middle French (ca. 1400-1600) (frm)
surprise Middle English (1100-1500) (enm)
surprise English (en) (intransitive) To cause surprise.. (intransitive) To undergo or witness something unexpected.. (transitive) To attack unexpectedly.. (transitive) To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted.. (transitive) To do something to (a person) that they are not expecting, as a surprise.. (transitive) To take unawares. (attributive) Unexpected.. (obsolete) A dish covered with a crust of [...]

Words with the same origin as surprise

Descendants of sur-

surrender survey