Hypertext Webster Gateway: "perplex"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Perplex \Per*plex"\, a. [L. perplexus entangled, intricate; per
+ plectere, plexum, to plait, braid: cf. F. perplexe. See
{Per-}, and {Plait}.]
Intricate; difficult. [Obs.] --Glanvill.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Perplex \Per*plex"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Perplexed}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Perplexing}.] [L. perplexari. See {Perplex}, a.]
1. To involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated,
and difficult to be unraveled or understood; as, to
perplex one with doubts.
No artful wildness to perplex the scene. --Pope.
What was thought obscure, perplexed, and too hard
for our weak parts, will lie open to the
understanding in a fair view. --Locke.
2. To embarrass; to puzzle; to distract; to bewilder; to
confuse; to trouble with ambiguity, suspense, or anxiety.
``Perplexd beyond self-explication.'' --Shak.
We are perplexed, but not in despair. --2 Cor. iv.
8.
We can distinguish no general truths, or at least
shall be apt to perplex the mind. --Locke.
3. To plague; to vex; to tormen. --Glanvill.
Syn: To entangle; involve; complicate; embarrass; puzzle;
bewilder; confuse; distract. See {Embarrass}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
perplex
v 1: be a mystery or bewildering to: "This beats me!" "Got me--I
don't know the answer!" [syn: {get}, {puzzle}, {mystify},
{baffle}, {beat}, {bewilder}, {flummox}, {stupefy}, {stupify},
{nonplus}, {gravel}, {amaze}, {dumbfound}]
2: make more complicated; "There was a new development that
complicated the matter" [syn: {complicate}] [ant: {simplify}]
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