stupefacere

Stupefacere is a Latin verb meaning to astonish, stun, or stupefy. It is a compound formed from stupeo, “to be dumbstruck,” and facere, “to make,” literally “to make [someone] be stupefied.” The verb belongs to the third conjugation of Latin verbs and uses the infinitive stupefacere. Its present active forms include stupefio? Wait, the correct forms are stupefacio, stupefacis, stupefacit, stupefacimus, stupefacitis, stupefacunt. The past participle is stupefactus, used in passive constructions and as an adjective meaning “astonished.”

Usage and meaning in Latin are transitive: something or someone can be the patient of astonishment, while the cause or source of astonishment may be expressed in various ways, including subordinate clauses or additional phrases. In sense, it closely corresponds to the English verb “to stupefy” or “to astonish.”

Etymology and cognates: stupefacere preserves the sense of making someone or something become dumbstruck. The English verb stupefy derives from this Latin root, via Old French estupefier, and entered English in the medieval period. The word participates in the family of Latin compounds built with facere, meaning to make or cause to be.

Historical usage: stupefacere occurs in classical Latin literature and continues in later Latin, including medieval and early modern texts. It is often encountered in prose and poetry where speakers describe remarkable or shocking events, appearances, or actions that cause astonishment.

See also: stupefactus (the participle meaning “astonished”), the English cognate stupefy, and other compounds built from stupeo and facere.