wundor

Wundor is an Old English noun meaning a marvel, miracle, or something astonishing. In scholarly discussions of the language, it denotes phenomena that elicit awe, often with religious or supernatural connotations. In modern English it is generally considered archaic or literary.

Etymology and cognates: Wundor derives from a West Germanic word, cognate with the modern German Wunder and Dutch wonder. It is related to Old Norse undr, and forms part of a shared Germanic vocabulary for marvels and prodigies. The sense centers on awe and astonishment at extraordinary events, with the precise Proto-Indo-European roots reconstructed by linguists.

Usage in Old English literature: The term occurs in religious poetry, hagiographic works, and visionary or epic passages to name miracles or marvels—events surpassing ordinary experience. It can appear in various forms across manuscripts dating from the early medieval period and is often associated with divine or supernatural phenomena.

Modern usage: Today wundor is chiefly encountered in discussions of Old English, in historical fiction aiming for an archaic tone, or in poetry and prose that seek to imitate early English diction. It is not commonly used in contemporary prose outside such stylistic or scholarly contexts.