befuddle

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider.

Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi

Proto-Germanic *bider.

Proto-Germanic *bi-

Proto-West Germanic *bi-

Old English be-

Middle English bi-

English be-

English fuddle

English befuddle

From be- + fuddle.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /bɪˈfʌdl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  Rhymes: -ʌdl

Verb

befuddle (third-person singular simple present befuddles, present participle befuddling, simple past and past participle befuddled)

1. (transitive) To perplex, confuse (someone).

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:confuse

   The explanation left him completely befuddled.

   • 1916, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Nightmare”, in Jungle Tales of Tarzan‎^[1], A. C. McClurg:

     Slowly the ape-man picked out the meaning of the various combinations of letters on the printed page, and as he read, the little bugs, for as such he always thought of the letters, commenced to run about in a most confusing manner, blurring his vision and befuddling his thoughts.

2. (transitive) To stupefy (someone), especially with alcohol.
   • 1983, Basile Kerblay, Modern Soviet Society, page 290:

     […] to the American and French alcoholics, who drink in order to get drunk and befuddle the brain

Derived terms

• befuddled
• befuddlement
• befuddler
• befuddling
• confuddle

Translations

perplex or confuse

• Bulgarian: обърквам (bg) (obărkvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 使困惑, 使迷惑

• Czech: zmást
• Dutch: verbazen (nl), verwarren (nl)
• Finnish: hämmentää (fi), häkellyttää (fi)
• French: brouiller (fr), confondre (fr), épater (fr)
• German: verwirren (de)
• Ido: konfundigar (io)
• Italian: confondere (it), sconcertare (it)
• Portuguese: confundir (pt)
• Russian: сбива́ть с толку (ru) (sbivátʹ s tolku)
• Spanish: confundir (es)
• Swedish: omtöckna (sv)

stupefy

• Bulgarian: опиянявам (bg) (opijanjavam)
• Czech: omráčit
• Dutch: verdwazen (nl), verdoven (nl)
• Finnish: huumata (fi), päihdyttää (fi)
• German: berauschen (de)
• Italian: ingarbugliare (it), annebbiare (it), istupidire (it)
• Russian: одурманивать (ru) (odurmanivatʹ)