nonplus
UK /nɒnˈplʌs/ · US /ˌnɑnˈplʌs/ noun, verb
Forms nonpluses nonplusses nonplussing nonplusing nonplussed nonplused non-plus
- noun (obsolete) A state of bewilderment or perplexity.
- verb (transitive) To bewilder or perplex (someone); to confound, to flummox.
Synonyms
perplex vex stick get puzzle mystify baffle beat pose bewilder flummox stupefy gravel amaze dumbfound
Etymology
The noun is derived from Latin nōn plūs (“no further, no more”), from nōn (“not”) + plūs (“additionally, more; further”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”)).
The verb is derived from the noun.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A state or condition which daffles reason or confounds judgment; insuperable difficalty; inability to proceed or decide; puzzle; quandary.
- verb To puzzle; to confound; to perplex; to cause to stop by embarrassment.
Etymology [L. non not + plus more, further. See Plural.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “nonplus”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details