perplex
UK /pəˈplɛks/ · US /pɚˈplɛks/ verb, adjective, noun
Forms perplexes perplexing perplexed
- verb (transitive) To cause to feel baffled; to puzzle.
- verb (transitive) To involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated.
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To plague; to vex; to torment.
- adjective (now rare) intricate; difficult
- noun (obsolete) A difficulty.
Synonyms
vex stick get puzzle mystify baffle beat pose bewilder flummox stupefy nonplus gravel amaze dumbfound complicate
Etymology
From Old French, from Latin perplexus (“entangled, confused”), from per (“through”) + plexus, perfect passive participle of plectō (“plait, weave, braid”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated, and difficult to be unraveled or understood; as, to perplex one with doubts.
- verb To embarrass; to puzzle; to distract; to bewilder; to confuse; to trouble with ambiguity, suspense, or anxiety. "Perplexd beyond self-explication." Shak.
- adjective Intricate; difficult. [Obs.] Glanvill.
Etymology [L. perplexari. See Perplex, a.]
Etymology [L. perplexus entangled, intricate; per + plectere, plexum, to plait, braid: cf. F. perplexe. See Per-, and Plait.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “perplex”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details