perplex

Etymology

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

verb

  1. (transitive) To cause to feel baffled; to puzzle.
  2. (transitive) To involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated.
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To plague; to vex; to torment.
    Chloe's the wonder of her sex, 'Tis well her heart is tender, How might such killing eyes perplex, With virtue to defend her. 1726, George Granville, Chloe

adj

  1. (now rare) intricate; difficult
    Finally, I explore possible audience interpretations of the film and offer some alternative reading strategies of these highly perplex sketches. 2007, Sean Brayton, “MTV's Jackass: Transgression, Abjection and the Economy of White Masculinity”, in Journal of Gender Studies, volume 16, page 58

noun

  1. (obsolete) A difficulty.

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