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.
   • John Locke

     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.
   • Granville

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

• See also Thesaurus:confuse

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

perplex (comparative more perplex, superlative most perplex)

1. (obsolete) intricate; difficult
   • Glanvill

     How the soul directs the spirits for the motion of the body, according to the several animal exigents, is perplex in the theory.

perplex (plural perplexes)

1. (obsolete) A difficulty.

• perplex in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• perplex in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• perplex at OneLook Dictionary Search

From French perplexe, from Latin perplexus.

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

• Audio

  (file)

perplex (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.