perplexity

English

Etymology

From Middle French perplexité or post-classical Latin perplexitas ‘entanglement’, from perplexus.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /pəˈplɛksɪti/
• (US) IPA: /pəɻˈplɛksədi/

Noun

perplexity (plural perplexities)

1. The state or quality of being perplexed; puzzled or confused.
2. Something that perplexes.
   • 1942, The Emperor, who was by then a focus of unresolvable perplexities, stood providing a strongly contrary appearance — Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (Canongate 2006, p. 149)
3. A measurement in information theory. [1]

Translations

Quality of being confused or puzzled

• French: perplexité (fr)
• Greek: σύγχυση (el) (sýnchysi) f
• Italian: perplessità (it)

• Maori: rapeka (mi)
• Romanian: perplexitate (ro) f
• Russian: растерянность (ru) (rastérjannostʹ) f, замешательство (ru) (zamešátelʹstvo) n

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Translations to be checked

• Hebrew: מבוכה (m"vucha)