Sunday Word: Stupefy
stupefy [stoo-puh-fahy, styoo-]
verb:
1 make (someone) unable to think or feel properly, to make stupid, groggy, or insensible
2 stun, as with a narcotic, a shock, or a strong emotion
3 astonish and shock
Examples:
To stupefy oneself with other wines, is brutal; but to raise oneself to the seventh heaven with thee, is quite ethereal. (Newton Forster, Captain Frederick Marryatt)
These words seemed at first to stupefy Mat: they burst upon him in the shape of a revelation for which he was totally unprepared. (Wilkie Collins, Hide and Seek)
Origin:
1510s (implied in past participle stupefact), from Middle French stupefier, from Latin stupefacere 'make stupid or senseless,' from stupere 'be stunned' + facere 'to make'. (Dictionary.com)