meravigliare

Meravigliare is an Italian verb that means to cause wonder or astonishment in someone. It is used transitively, as in "Il spettacolo ha meravigliato il pubblico." The reflexive form meravigliarsi refers to the feeling of astonishment or being amazed, as in "Mi sono meravigliato di quanto sia successo."

Etymology and related forms: the verb derives from meraviglia, meaning wonder or marvel, which in turn comes from Latin forms related to mirari, "to wonder." The noun meraviglia and the adjective meraviglioso share the same root, reflecting the core idea of astonishment and admiration in Italian.

Usage and examples: meravigliare is common in both everyday speech and literary contexts to indicate causing surprise or admiration. It can describe natural phenomena, artistic works, or unexpected events: "La scoperta ha meravigliato gli esperti." The reflexive form meravigliarsi emphasizes the subject’s own reaction: "Mi meraviglio della tua velocità." Synonyms include stupire and sorprendere; meravigliare differs slightly in nuance by stressing the sense of marvel.

Conjugation and forms: meravigliare is a regular -are verb and follows standard conjugation patterns. Present indicative is typically io meraviglio, tu meravigli, lui meraviglia, noi meravigliamo, voi meravigliate, loro meravigliano. The reflexive present is: io mi meraviglio, tu ti meravigli, lui si meraviglia, noi ci meravigliamo, voi vi meravigliate, loro si meravigliano. Past tenses use avere as the auxiliary for meravigliare; reflexive tenses use essere.