étonnamment

surprisingly, astonishingly

adverb ay-to-na-MAHN Rare

Origin: from étonner 'to astonish' + -ment

Usage Note

Étonnamment functions as a sentence adverb (Étonnamment, il a réussi — Surprisingly, he succeeded) as well as a degree modifier (étonnamment calme — surprisingly calm). It derives from étonner, which originally meant to stun as if by thunder, from Latin tonare.

Examples

"Il était étonnamment calme."

Natural Translation

He was surprisingly calm.

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