perplex

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛks

Verb

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.

   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2:

     The Ways of Heav’n are dark and intricate,
     Puzzled in Mazes, and perplext with Errors;
     Our Underſtanding traces ’em in vain,
     Loſt and bewilder’d in the fruitleſs Search; […]

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], “Canto IX”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:

     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.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:confuse

Derived terms

• perplexion
• perplexly
• unperplex

Related terms

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

Translations

to cause to feel baffled — see also baffle,‎ bewilder,‎ confuse,‎ disconcert

• Bulgarian: обърквам (bg) (obărkvam), смущавам (bg) (smuštavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 使困惑

• Czech: zaskočit (cs)
• Esperanto: perpleksigi
• Finnish: hämmentää (fi), saattaa ymmälle, askarruttaa (fi)
• French: déconcerter (fr), troubler (fr), dérouter (fr)
• German: verwirren (de)
• Greek: μπερδεύω (el) (berdévo), σαστίζω (el) (sastízo)
• Italian: perplimere (it) (jocular), perplettere (rare), sconcertare (it), lasciare di stucco (literally “to cause [to become] of plaster”), allibire (it)
• Māori: whakahēhē, whakapōkaikaha
• Occitan: desconcertar, desmemoriar
• Portuguese: pasmar (pt), desconcertar (pt), vexar (pt)
• Russian: озадачивать (ru) (ozadačivatʹ), запутывать (ru) (zaputyvatʹ)
• Spanish: perplejizar, dejar perplejo
• Swedish: förvirra (sv)

Adjective

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.

Derived terms

• perplex number

Noun

perplex (plural perplexes)

1. (obsolete) A difficulty.

Further reading

• “perplex”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “perplex”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “perplex”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch perplex, borrowed from Middle French perplex.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛrˈplɛks/, /pərˈplɛks/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: per‧plex
• Rhymes: -ɛks

Adjective

perplex (comparative perplexer, superlative meest perplex or perplext)

1. perplexed, befuddled

   Synonym: stomverbaasd

Declension

Declension of perplex
uninflected	perplex
inflected	perplexe
comparative	perplexer
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		perplex	perplexer	het perplext het perplexte
indefinite	m./f. sing.	perplexe	perplexere	perplexte
	n. sing.	perplex	perplexer	perplexte
	plural	perplexe	perplexere	perplexte
definite		perplexe	perplexere	perplexte
partitive		perplex	perplexers	—

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French perplexe, from Latin perplexus.

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Adjective

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

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

   Synonyms: verdutzt, verblüfft, verwirrt

Declension

Positive forms of perplex number & gender singular plural masculine feminine neuter predicative er ist perplex sie ist perplex es ist perplex sie sind perplex strong declension (without article) nominative perplexer perplexe perplexes perplexe genitive perplexen perplexer perplexen perplexer dative perplexem perplexer perplexem perplexen accusative perplexen perplexe perplexes perplexe weak declension (with definite article) nominative der perplexe die perplexe das perplexe die perplexen genitive des perplexen der perplexen des perplexen der perplexen dative dem perplexen der perplexen dem perplexen den perplexen accusative den perplexen die perplexe das perplexe die perplexen mixed declension (with indefinite article) nominative ein perplexer eine perplexe ein perplexes (keine) perplexen genitive eines perplexen einer perplexen eines perplexen (keiner) perplexen dative einem perplexen einer perplexen einem perplexen (keinen) perplexen accusative einen perplexen eine perplexe ein perplexes (keine) perplexen Comparative forms of perplex number & gender singular plural masculine feminine neuter predicative er ist perplexer sie ist perplexer es ist perplexer sie sind perplexer strong declension (without article) nominative perplexerer perplexere perplexeres perplexere genitive perplexeren perplexerer perplexeren perplexerer dative perplexerem perplexerer perplexerem perplexeren accusative perplexeren perplexere perplexeres perplexere weak declension (with definite article) nominative der perplexere die perplexere das perplexere die perplexeren genitive des perplexeren der perplexeren des perplexeren der perplexeren dative dem perplexeren der perplexeren dem perplexeren den perplexeren accusative den perplexeren die perplexere das perplexere die perplexeren mixed declension (with indefinite article) nominative ein perplexerer eine perplexere ein perplexeres (keine) perplexeren genitive eines perplexeren einer perplexeren eines perplexeren (keiner) perplexeren dative einem perplexeren einer perplexeren einem perplexeren (keinen) perplexeren accusative einen perplexeren eine perplexere ein perplexeres (keine) perplexeren Superlative forms of perplex number & gender singular plural masculine feminine neuter predicative er ist am perplexesten sie ist am perplexesten es ist am perplexesten sie sind am perplexesten strong declension (without article) nominative perplexester perplexeste perplexestes perplexeste genitive perplexesten perplexester perplexesten perplexester dative perplexestem perplexester perplexestem perplexesten accusative perplexesten perplexeste perplexestes perplexeste weak declension (with definite article) nominative der perplexeste die perplexeste das perplexeste die perplexesten genitive des perplexesten der perplexesten des perplexesten der perplexesten dative dem perplexesten der perplexesten dem perplexesten den perplexesten accusative den perplexesten die perplexeste das perplexeste die perplexesten mixed declension (with indefinite article) nominative ein perplexester eine perplexeste ein perplexestes (keine) perplexesten genitive eines perplexesten einer perplexesten eines perplexesten (keiner) perplexesten dative einem perplexesten einer perplexesten einem perplexesten (keinen) perplexesten accusative einen perplexesten eine perplexeste ein perplexestes (keine) perplexesten

Related terms

• Perplexität

Further reading

• “perplex” in Duden online
• “perplex”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[1] (in German)
• “perplex” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *per-der.

Proto-Italic *per(i)-

Latin per-

Latin plectere

Latin perplexus

French perplexebor.

Romanian perplex

Borrowed from French perplexe, from Latin perplexus.

Adjective

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

1. perplexed

Declension

Declension of perplex

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	perplex		perplexă	perplecși	perplexe
	definite	perplexul		perplexa	perplecșii	perplexele
genitive- dative	indefinite	perplex		perplexe	perplecși	perplexe
	definite	perplexului		perplexei	perplecșilor	perplexelor

Swedish

Adjective

perplex (comparative mer perplex, superlative mest perplex)

1. perplexed

Declension

Inflection of perplex

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	perplex	mer perplex	mest perplex
neuter singular	perplext	mer perplext	mest perplext
plural	perplexa	mer perplexa	mest perplexa
masculine plural2	perplexe	mer perplexa	mest perplexa
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	perplexe	mer perplexe	mest perplexe
all	perplexa	mer perplexa	mest perplexa

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

References

• “perplex”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “perplex”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “perplex”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)