surprise

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
surprise/səˈprʌɪz/

▶noun

• 1 a feeling of mild astonishment or shock caused by something unexpected.

• 2 an unexpected or astonishing thing.

• 3 [as modifier] Bell-ringing denoting a complex method of change-ringing: surprise major.

▶verb

• 1 cause to feel surprise.

• 2 capture, attack, or discover suddenly and unexpectedly.

– phrases
take someone/thing by surprise attack or capture someone or something unexpectedly.

■ (take someone by surprise) happen unexpectedly to someone.

– derivatives
surprised adjective,
surprisedly adverb,
surprising adjective,
surprisingly adverb,
surprisingness noun.

– origin ME (in the sense ‘unexpected seizure or attack’): from OFr., fem. past part. of surprendre, from med. L. superprehendere ‘seize’.