puzzle

puzzle
I. verb (puzzled; puzzling) Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1582 transitive verb 1. to offer or represent to (as a person) a problem difficult to solve or a situation difficult to resolve ; challenge mentally; also to exert (as oneself) over such a problem or situation <
they puzzled their wits to find a solution
> 2. archaic complicate, entangle 3. to solve with difficulty or ingenuity <
puzzle out an answer to a riddle
> intransitive verb 1. to be uncertain as to action or choice 2. to attempt a solution of a puzzle by guesswork or experiment <
puzzle over the mystery
> • puzzler noun Synonyms: puzzle, perplex, bewilder, distract, nonplus, confound, dumbfound mean to baffle and disturb mentally. puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve <
the persistent fever puzzled the doctor
>. perplex adds a suggestion of worry and uncertainty especially about making a necessary decision <
a behavior that perplexed her friends
>. bewilder stresses a confusion of mind that hampers clear and decisive thinking <
a bewildering number of possibilities
>. distract implies agitation or uncertainty induced by conflicting preoccupations or interests <
distracted by personal problems
>. nonplus implies a bafflement that makes orderly planning or deciding impossible <
the remark left us utterly nonplussed
>. confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement <
the tragic news confounded us all
>. dumbfound suggests intense but momentary confounding; often the idea of astonishment is so stressed that it becomes a near synonym of astound <
was at first too dumbfounded to reply
>. II. noun Date: circa 1612 1. the state of being puzzled ; perplexity 2. a. something that puzzles b. a question, problem, or contrivance designed for testing ingenuity Synonyms: see mystery

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • puzzle — [ pɶzl; pɶzɶl ] n. m. • 1909; mot angl. , de to puzzle « embarrasser » 1 ♦ Jeu de patience composé d éléments à assembler pour reconstituer un dessin. ⇒région. casse tête. Faire un puzzle. 2 ♦ Fig. Multiplicité d éléments qu un raisonnement… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • puzzle — s.n. Joc de perspicacitate care constă în îmbinarea unor piese pentru a reconstitui un obiect, o imagine. [pr.: pazl] – cuv. engl. Trimis de ana zecheru, 27.04.2004. Sursa: DEX 98  PUZZLE [pr.: pazl] n. Joc care constă în capacitatea de a îmbina …   Dicționar Român

  • Puzzle — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Un puzzle o puzle puede referirse a: Un rompecabezas, un juego en el que hay que armar una figura. Un crucigrama o juego de palabras cruzadas. Un puzzle compacto es un autodefinido o crucigrama compacto. Un acertijo …   Wikipedia Español

  • puzzle# — puzzle vb Puzzle, perplex, mystify, bewilder, distract, nonplus, confound, dumbfound are comparable when they mean to disturb and baffle mentally or throw into mental confusion. The first three words express various mental reactions to what is… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • puzzle — (del inglés; pronunciamos puzle ) sustantivo masculino 1. Juego que consiste en reconstruir una figura dividida en piezas irregulares planas, combinando éstas después de haberlas desordenado: hacer un puzzle, un puzzle de mil piezas. Sinónimo:… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • puzzle — [puz′əl] vt. puzzled, puzzling [ME * poselen (inferred < pp. poselet), to bewilder, confuse < ?] to perplex; confuse; bewilder; nonplus vi. 1. to be perplexed, etc. 2. to exercise one s mind, as over the solution of a problem n. 1. the… …   English World dictionary

  • Puzzle — Puz zle, v. i. 1. To be bewildered, or perplexed. [1913 Webster] A puzzling fool, that heeds nothing. L Estrange. [1913 Webster] 2. To work, as at a puzzle; as, to puzzle over a problem. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • puzzle — puz zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {puzzled} (p[u^]z z ld); p. pr. & vb. n. {puzzling} (p[u^]z zl[i^]ng).] 1. To perplex; to confuse; to embarrass; to put to a stand; to nonplus. [1913 Webster] A very shrewd disputant in those points is dexterous in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Puzzle — Sn (ein aus Einzelteilen zusammenzusetzendes Bild) erw. fach. (20. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus ne. (jigsaw) puzzle, letzteres eigentlich Verwirrung .    Ebenso nndl. puzzel, nfrz. puzzle, nschw. pussel. ✎ Rey Debove/Gagnon (1988), 805f.;… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • Puzzle — Puzzle: Die Bezeichnung für das Geduldsspiel, bei dem aus vielen Einzelteilen ein Bild zusammenzusetzen ist, wurde im 20. Jh. aus engl. puzzle »Verwirrung; Rätsel, Geduldsspiel« entlehnt, dessen weitere Herkunft dunkel ist. – Abl.: puzzeln »ein… …   Das Herkunftswörterbuch

  • puzzle — puz zle (p[u^]z z l), n. [For opposal, in the sense of problem. See {Oppose}, {Pose}, v.] 1. Something which perplexes or embarrasses; especially, a toy or a problem contrived for testing ingenuity; also, something exhibiting marvelous skill in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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