Where does “perplexity” come from?
Perplexity comes from Latin perplexitas, from perplexus meaning entangled or confused, derived from the prefix per- and Latin -itas forming abstract nouns.
perplexity (English): The state or quality of being perplexed; puzzled...
Definitions
- The state or quality of being perplexed; puzzled...
Ancestry of “perplexity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | perplexité | perplexity |
| 2 | Latin | perplexitas | perplexity, state of bewilderment; obscurity |
| 3 | Latin | perplexus | entangled, involved, intricate, confused;... |
| 4 | Latin | plectere | present active infinitive of plectō;... |
| 5 | Latin | plecto | I plait, weave, braid; I twist, bend, turn; I... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | plektō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pleḱ- | to fold, plait, weave |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |