puzzle

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A game or toy that you have to think hard about to solve, played for fun.

   My grandfather does a crossword puzzle every morning.

2. 2
   noun

   Something confusing or difficult to understand or explain.

   Where he went after leaving the house is still a puzzle.

3. 3
   verb

   To confuse someone because they cannot understand or explain something.

   Her strange reply puzzled everyone in the room.

The verb, of uncertain origin, is attested first. Apparently cognate with Scots pousle, pouzle, poozle (“to trifle; poke or potter around aimlessly; search about with uncertainty”), Saterland Frisian puzelje (“to work hard and continuously”), West Frisian peuzelje (“to trifle, work slowly; eat slowly and daintifully, snack”), Dutch peuzelen (“to perform insignificant work, dawdle; pick at, eat with relish in small pieces, snack”), German Low German pusseln (“to tinker, fiddle; trifle”) and pöseln (“to work hard, toil; to slave away; suffer at work; work slowly and ineffectively”), German posse…

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