mar·vel

[mahr-vuhl] noun, verb, mar·veled, mar·vel·ing or ( especially British ) mar·velled, mar·vel·ling.
noun
1.
something that causes wonder, admiration, or astonishment; a wonderful thing; a wonder or prodigy: The new bridge is an engineering marvel.
2.
Archaic. the feeling of wonder; astonishment.
verb (used with object)
3.
to wonder at (usually followed by a clause as object): I marvel that you were able to succeed against such odds.
4.
to wonder or be curious about (usually followed by a clause as object): A child marvels that the stars can be.
verb (used without object)
5.
to be filled with wonder, admiration, or astonishment, as at something surprising or extraordinary: I marvel at your courage.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English mervel < Old French merveil(l)e < Late Latin mīrābilia marvels, noun use of neuter plural of Latin mīrābilis marvelous. See admirable

Related forms
mar·vel·ment, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To marvel
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Marvel is one of our favorite verbs.
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to run away hurriedly; flee.
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
marvel (ˈmɑːvəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb (when intr, often foll by at or about; when tr, takes a clause as object) , (US) -vels, -velling, -velled, -vels, -veling, -veled
1.  to be filled with surprise or wonder
 
—n
2.  something that causes wonder
3.  archaic astonishment
 
[C13: from Old French merveille, from Late Latin mīrābilia, from Latin mīrābilis, from mīrārī to wonder at]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

marvel
c.1300, "miracle," also "wonderful story or legend," from O.Fr. merveille "a wonder," from V.L. *miribilia, alt. from L. mirabilia "wonderful things," from neut. pl. of mirabilis "strange or wonderful," from mirari "to wonder at," from mirus "wonderful" (see smile). A neut.
pl. treated in V.L. as a fem. sing. The verb is attested from c.1300. Related: Marveled; marveling; marvels.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
There you can admire stone rings used to calculate astronomical cycles and you
  can also marvel at the remains of a mural.
The setting is spectacular and the house is a marvel.
One can but marvel at her foresight and the scope of her success.
Located beside the lake for which the city is named, the campus is spectacular
  and visitors marvel at its beauty.
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