Where does “perplex” come from?
perplex (German) comes from French perplexe, from Latin perplexus, from Latin plectere, from Latin plecto, from Proto-Italic plektō, from Proto-Indo-European pleḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European pel- — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.
perplex (German): confused, perplexed, puzzled
Definitions
- confused, perplexed, puzzled
Ancestry of “perplex”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | perplexe | puzzled, perplexed |
| 2 | Latin | perplexus | entangled, involved, intricate, confused;... |
| 3 | Latin | plectere | present active infinitive of plectō;... |
| 4 | Latin | plecto | I plait, weave, braid; I twist, bend, turn; I... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | plektō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pleḱ- | to fold, plait, weave |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |