## Meanings
1. A game or toy that you have to think hard about to solve, played for fun.
2. Something confusing or difficult to understand or explain.
3. To confuse someone because they cannot understand or explain something.

## Examples
- My grandfather does a crossword puzzle every morning.
- Where he went after leaving the house is still a puzzle.
- Her strange reply puzzled everyone in the room.

## Derived Forms
- befuzzle
- bepuzzle
- confuzzle
- empuzzle
- metapuzzle
- puzzle-monkey
- puzzle-peg
- puzzleation
- puzzled
- puzzledom
- puzzlefest
- puzzlehead

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: puslian

## Etymology
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…

## AI Etymology
Puzzle: 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. The historical chain includes puslian (Old English). In present-day English it covers a game or toy that you have to think hard about to solve, played for fun, something confusing or difficult to understand or explain, and to confuse someone because they cannot understand or explain something. The wider family includes derived forms such as befuzzle, bepuzzle, confuzzle, empuzzle, metapuzzle.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Entertainment & Leisure

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