Etymology

Formally this v. certainly continues OE wundrian ‘to wonder, be astonished (at)’, a derivative on the n. OE wundor (cp. OFris wunderia, OS wundrōn, OHG wuntarōn, OIcel undra ‘to wonder at a person or thing’).  The ME impers. construction as at Gaw 1201 (‘and let as hym wondered’) is unparalleled in OE, and so it is plausible that it owes something to influence from the ON cognate, which can be used impersonally (see CV) (thus TGD, followed by Nagano 1966: 65, but not otherwise suggested).

PGmc Ancestor

*wunðran

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

undra ‘to wonder at a person or thing’
(ONP undra (vb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far undrast, Icel undra(st), Norw undra, Sw undra

OE Cognate

wundrian ‘to wonder, be astonished (at)’

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

CC3

Attestation

MED records a number of impersonal uses of the v. (at its senses (1c), (2c), (3c)), which have no evident dial bias.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 1201; WA *776*, 3119

The instance at WA 776* is an emendation by TPD of MS wonder (n.).

Bibliography

MED wondren (v.) , OED wonder (v.) , HTOED , Dance wondered, CV undra, de Vries undr (1), Mag. undur, AEW wundrian