perplex

From Old French, from Latin perplexus (“entangled, confused”), from per (“through”) + plexus, perfect passive participle of plectō (“plait, weave, braid”).

• (General American) enPR: pərplĕksʹ, IPA^(key): /pɚˈplɛks/
• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: pəplĕksʹ, IPA^(key): /pəˈplɛks/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛks

perplex (third-person singular simple present perplexes, present participle perplexing, simple past and past participle perplexed)

1. (transitive) To cause to feel baffled; to puzzle.
2. (transitive) To involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated.
   • a. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, →OCLC:

     What was thought obscure, perplexed, and too hard for our weak parts, will lie open to the understanding in a fair view.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To plague; to vex; to torment.
   • 1726, George Granville, Chloe:

     Chloe's the wonder of her sex, 'Tis well her heart is tender, How might such killing eyes perplex, With virtue to defend her.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto IX:

     All night no ruder air perplex
     ⁠Thy sliding keel, till Phosphor, bright
     ⁠As our pure love, thro’ early light
     Shall glimmer on the dewy decks.

• See also Thesaurus:confuse

• perplexable
• perplexation
• perplexed
• perplexedness
• perplexing
• perplexity
• perplexment

perplex (comparative more perplex, superlative most perplex)

1. (now rare) intricate; difficult
   • 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica: Or, Confest Ignorance, the Way to Science; […], London: […] E. C[otes] for Henry Eversden […], →OCLC:

     How the soul directs the spirits for the motion of the body, according to the several animal exigents, is as perplex in the Theory, as either of the former.

   • 2007, Sean Brayton, “MTV's Jackass: Transgression, Abjection and the Economy of White Masculinity”, in Journal of Gender Studies, volume 16, page 58:

     Finally, I explore possible audience interpretations of the film and offer some alternative reading strategies of these highly perplex sketches.

• perplex number

perplex (plural perplexes)

1. (obsolete) A difficulty.

• “perplex”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “perplex”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “perplex”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

From Middle Dutch perplex, borrowed from Middle French perplex.

• IPA^(key): /pɛrˈplɛks/, /pərˈplɛks/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: per‧plex
• Rhymes: -ɛks

perplex (comparative perplexer, superlative meest perplex or perplext)

1. perplexed, befuddled

   Synonym: stomverbaasd

Borrowed from French perplexe, from Latin perplexus.

• IPA^(key): /pɛʁˈplɛks/
• Rhymes: -ɛks
• Hyphenation: per‧plex

• Audio

  (file)

perplex (strong nominative masculine singular perplexer, comparative perplexer, superlative am perplexesten)

1. (colloquial, rarely attributive) confused, perplexed, puzzled

   Synonyms: verdutzt, verblüfft, verwirrt

• Perplexität

• “perplex” in Duden online
• “perplex” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “perplex” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

Borrowed from French perplexe, from Latin perplex.

perplex m or n (feminine singular perplexă, masculine plural perplecși, feminine and neuter plural perplexe)

1. perplexed

perplex (comparative mer perplex, superlative mest perplex)

1. perplexed

• perplex in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• perplex in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• perplex in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)