stupeo

Latin

FWOTD – 25 June 2024

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *(s)tup-éh₁-ye-ti (literally “to be struck”), from *(s)tewp- (“to push, hit”) +‎ *-éh₁yeti (stative verb suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈstu.pe.oː/, [ˈs̠t̪ʊpeoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈstu.pe.o/, [ˈst̪uːpeo]

Verb

stupeō (present infinitive stupēre, perfect active stupuī); second conjugation, no passive, no supine stem

1. (intransitive) to be stunned, stiffened or benumbed, stop, hesitate
2. (intransitive) to be dazed, speechless or silenced; to be astounded, confounded, aghast or amazed
   • c. 54 CE, Seneca the Younger, Phaedra 607:

     Curae leves loquuntur, ingentes stupent.

     Trivial concerns talk, great ones are speechless.

3. (transitive) to be astonished or amazed at, wonder at

   Synonyms: astupeō, admīror, mīror, attonō, obstupēscō, stupēscō, dēfīgō

Usage notes

To convey the phrase of "to surprise," the subject and object have to be reversed, due to there being a lack of passive forms.

Conjugation

Conjugation of stupeō (second conjugation, no supine stem, active only)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	stupeō	stupēs	stupet	stupēmus	stupētis	stupent
	imperfect	stupēbam	stupēbās	stupēbat	stupēbāmus	stupēbātis	stupēbant
	future	stupēbō	stupēbis	stupēbit	stupēbimus	stupēbitis	stupēbunt
	perfect	stupuī	stupuistī	stupuit	stupuimus	stupuistis	stupuērunt, stupuēre
	pluperfect	stupueram	stupuerās	stupuerat	stupuerāmus	stupuerātis	stupuerant
	future perfect	stupuerō	stupueris	stupuerit	stupuerimus	stupueritis	stupuerint
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	stupeam	stupeās	stupeat	stupeāmus	stupeātis	stupeant
	imperfect	stupērem	stupērēs	stupēret	stupērēmus	stupērētis	stupērent
	perfect	stupuerim	stupuerīs	stupuerit	stupuerīmus	stupuerītis	stupuerint
	pluperfect	stupuissem	stupuissēs	stupuisset	stupuissēmus	stupuissētis	stupuissent
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	stupē	—	—	stupēte	—
	future	—	stupētō	stupētō	—	stupētōte	stupentō
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		stupēre	stupuisse	—	—	—	—
participles		stupēns	—	—	—	—	—
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		stupendī	stupendō	stupendum	stupendō	—	—

Derived terms

• astupeō
• circumstupeō
• constupeō
• īnstupeō
• stupefaciō
• stupēns
• stupēscō
• stupidus
• stupor

 

Related terms

• stuprum

Descendants

• → Italian: stupire
  • → Piedmontese: stupì

Further reading

• “stupeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “stupeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• stupeo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.