Wiktionary

puzzle

See also: Puzzle

English edit

 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
 
A set of different puzzles

Etymology edit

Origin uncertain; originally pusle. Possibly from pose (“to perplex, puzzle, interrogate”) +‎ -le (frequentative suffix). The verb (1590s) “to perplex” seems to predate the noun “state of being perplexed” (circa 1600), “perplexing question” (1650s), “toy” (1814).[1]

Pronunciation edit

  • enPR: pŭzʹəl, IPA(key): /ˈpʌzəl/
  • Audio (CA)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌzəl

Noun edit

puzzle (plural puzzles)

  1. Anything that is difficult to understand or make sense of.
    Where he went after he left the house is a puzzle.
  2. A game for one or more people that is more or less difficult to work out or complete.
  3. A crossword puzzle.
  4. A jigsaw puzzle.
  5. A riddle.
  6. (archaic) Something made with marvellous skill; something of ingenious construction.
  7. The state of being puzzled; perplexity.
    to be in a puzzle

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

  • → Korean: 퍼즐 (peojeul)

Translations edit

crossword puzzle — see crossword
jigsaw puzzle — see jigsaw puzzle
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb edit

puzzle (third-person singular simple present puzzles, present participle puzzling, simple past and past participle puzzled)

  1. (transitive) To perplex, confuse, or mystify; to cause (someone) to be faced with a mystery, without answers or an explanation.
    • 1634 September 1 (Gregorian calendar), Robert Sanderson, “[Ad Clerum.] The Fourth Sermon. At a Metropolitical Visitation at Grantham, Lincoln, 22 August 1634.”, in XXXIV Sermons. […], 5th edition, London: […] [A. Clark] for A. Seil, and are to be sold by G. Sawbridge, […], published 1671, →OCLC, paragraph 15, page 65:
      Mens daily occaſions for themſelves or friends, and the neceſities of common life, require the doing of a thouſand things vvithin the compaſs of a fevv dayes, for vvhich it vvould puzzle the beſt Textman that liveth; readily to bethink himself of a ſentence in the Bible, clear enough to ſatisfie a ſcrupulous conſcience of the lavvfulneſs and expediency of vvhat he is about to do; […]
    • 1668, Franciscus Euistor the Palæopolite [pseudonym; Henry More], “(please specify the page)”, in Divine Dialogues, Containing Sundry Disquisitions & Instructions Concerning the Attributes of God and His Providence in the World. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Joseph Downing […], published 1713, →OCLC:
      A very shrewd disputant in those points is dexterous in puzzling others, if they be not thoroughpaced speculators in those great theories.
    • 1712 February 13 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “SATURDAY, February 2, 1711–1712”, in The Spectator, number 291; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume III, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:
      He is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidst his own blunders.
    • 1927, F. E. Penny, chapter 4, in Pulling the Strings:
      The case was that of a murder. It had an element of mystery about it, however, which was puzzling the authorities. A turban and loincloth soaked in blood had been found; also a staff.
    • 2004, George Carlin, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?‎[1], New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 261:
      When it comes to God's existence, I'm not an atheist and I'm not an agnostic. I'm an acrostic. The whole thing puzzles me.
  2. (intransitive) To think long and carefully, in bewilderment.
    We puzzled over the curious-shaped lock, but were unable to discover how the key should be inserted.
  3. (transitive) To make intricate; to entangle.

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

Related terms edit

References edit

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “puzzle”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams edit

Czech edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from English puzzle.[1]

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): [ˈpazl̩]
  • (nonstandard, hyperforeign) IPA(key): [ˈput͡slɛ]

Noun edit

puzzle m inan or n or f

  1. jigsaw puzzle

Usage notes edit

Also used as an indeclinable noun of various genders, most often neuter.[2]

Although the standard pronunciation of this word, which has been borrowed from English, is /ˈpazl̩/, another common informal pronunciation is /ˈput͡sle/, which is a hyperforeignism, trying to apply either Italian (as in pizza) or more probably German pronunciation rules.[3] However, both Italian and German pronunciation of the word puzzle is different.

Declension edit

when masculine:

Declension of puzzle (hard masculine inanimate foreign)
singular plural
nominative puzzle puzzly
genitive puzzlu puzzlů
dative puzzlu puzzlům
accusative puzzle puzzly
vocative puzzle puzzly
locative puzzlu puzzlech
instrumental puzzlem puzzly

Indeclinable when neuter or feminine.

References edit

  1. ^ "puzzle" in Jiří Rejzek, Český etymologický slovník, electronic version, Leda, 2007
  2. ^ puzzle in Internetová jazyková příručka, Institute of the Czech Language of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
  3. ^ Z dopisů jazykové poradně, Naše řeč, volume 82 (1999), issue 5

French edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from English puzzle.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

puzzle m (plural puzzles)

  1. jigsaw puzzle

Further reading edit

Hungarian edit

 Kirakós játék on Hungarian Wikipedia

Etymology edit

Borrowed from English puzzle.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): [ˈpaːzl̩], [ˈpaːzəl] (also with a short [a])
  • Hyphenation: puzzle (cannot be hyphenated)
  • Rhymes: -əl

Noun edit

puzzle (plural puzzle-ök or puzzle-ok or puzzle-k)[1][2]

  1. jigsaw puzzle
    Synonyms: (képes) kirakó/kirakójáték, kirakós (játék), képkirakó/képkirakós (játék), (rare) pázli

Declension edit

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative puzzle puzzle-ok
accusative puzzle-t puzzle-okat
dative puzzle-nak puzzle-oknak
instrumental puzzle-lal puzzle-okkal
causal-final puzzle-ért puzzle-okért
translative puzzle-lá puzzle-okká
terminative puzzle-ig puzzle-okig
essive-formal puzzle-ként puzzle-okként
essive-modal — —
inessive puzzle-ban puzzle-okban
superessive puzzle-on puzzle-okon
adessive puzzle-nál puzzle-oknál
illative puzzle-ba puzzle-okba
sublative puzzle-ra puzzle-okra
allative puzzle-hoz puzzle-okhoz
elative puzzle-ból puzzle-okból
delative puzzle-ról puzzle-okról
ablative puzzle-tól puzzle-októl
non-attributive
possessive - singular 		puzzle-é puzzle-oké
non-attributive
possessive - plural 		puzzle-éi puzzle-okéi
Possessive forms of puzzle
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. puzzle-om puzzle-jaim
2nd person sing. puzzle-od puzzle-jaid
3rd person sing. puzzle-ja puzzle-jai
1st person plural puzzle-unk puzzle-jaink
2nd person plural puzzle-otok puzzle-jaitok
3rd person plural puzzle-juk puzzle-jaik

or

Inflection (stem in -ö-, front rounded harmony)
singular plural
nominative puzzle puzzle-ök
accusative puzzle-t puzzle-öket
dative puzzle-nek puzzle-öknek
instrumental puzzle-lel puzzle-ökkel
causal-final puzzle-ért puzzle-ökért
translative puzzle-lé puzzle-ökké
terminative puzzle-ig puzzle-ökig
essive-formal puzzle-ként puzzle-ökként
essive-modal — —
inessive puzzle-ben puzzle-ökben
superessive puzzle-ön puzzle-ökön
adessive puzzle-nél puzzle-öknél
illative puzzle-be puzzle-ökbe
sublative puzzle-re puzzle-ökre
allative puzzle-höz puzzle-ökhöz
elative puzzle-ből puzzle-ökből
delative puzzle-ről puzzle-ökről
ablative puzzle-től puzzle-öktől
non-attributive
possessive - singular 		puzzle-é puzzle-öké
non-attributive
possessive - plural 		puzzle-éi puzzle-ökéi
Possessive forms of puzzle
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. puzzle-öm puzzle-jeim
2nd person sing. puzzle-öd puzzle-jeid
3rd person sing. puzzle-je puzzle-jei
1st person plural puzzle-ünk puzzle-jeink
2nd person plural puzzle-ötök puzzle-jeitek
3rd person plural puzzle-jük puzzle-jeik

or [1][2]

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative puzzle puzzle-k
accusative puzzle-t puzzle-kat
dative puzzle-nak puzzle-knak
instrumental puzzle-val puzzle-kkal
causal-final puzzle-ért puzzle-kért
translative puzzle-vá puzzle-kká
terminative puzzle-ig puzzle-kig
essive-formal puzzle-ként puzzle-kként
essive-modal — —
inessive puzzle-ban puzzle-kban
superessive puzzle-n puzzle-kon
adessive puzzle-nál puzzle-knál
illative puzzle-ba puzzle-kba
sublative puzzle-ra puzzle-kra
allative puzzle-hoz puzzle-khoz
elative puzzle-ból puzzle-kból
delative puzzle-ról puzzle-król
ablative puzzle-tól puzzle-któl
non-attributive
possessive - singular 		puzzle-é puzzle-ké
non-attributive
possessive - plural 		puzzle-éi puzzle-kéi
Possessive forms of puzzle
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. puzzle-m puzzle-jaim
2nd person sing. puzzle-d puzzle-jaid
3rd person sing. puzzle-ja puzzle-jai
1st person plural puzzle-nk puzzle-jaink
2nd person plural puzzle-tok puzzle-jaitok
3rd person plural puzzle-juk puzzle-jaik

Derived terms edit

See also edit

  • kirak (“to do [a jigsaw puzzle]”)

References edit

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Miképpen kell kiejteni és toldalékolni a puzzle szót? (“How is the word puzzle to be pronounced and inflected?”) answered by E-nyelv.hu, based on Laczkó, Krisztina; Attila Mártonfi (2006) Helyesírás [Orthography], Budapest: Osiris Kiadó, →ISBN
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 puzzle toldalékolása (“inflection of puzzle”) answered by E-nyelv.hu

Italian edit

Etymology edit

Unadapted borrowing from English puzzle.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈpad.d͡zol/
  • IPA(key): (careful style) /ˈpa.zol/, (careful style) /ˈpa.zel/[1]
    • Rhymes: (careful style) -azol, (careful style) -azel

Noun edit

puzzle m (invariable)

  1. jigsaw puzzle
  2. (by extension) a difficult problem

References edit

  1. ^ puzzle in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Polish edit

 
Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology edit

Unadapted borrowing from English puzzle.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

puzzle nvir

  1. jigsaw puzzle

Declension edit

Declension of puzzle
plural
nominative puzzle
genitive puzzli
dative puzzlom
accusative puzzle
instrumental puzzlami
locative puzzlach
vocative puzzle

Derived terms edit

noun

Further reading edit

  • puzzle in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • puzzle in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese edit

Etymology edit

Unadapted borrowing from English puzzle.

Noun edit

puzzle m (plural puzzles)

  1. jigsaw puzzle

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Unadapted borrowing from English puzzle.

Noun edit

puzzle n (plural puzzle-uri)

  1. puzzle

Declension edit

Declension of puzzle
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) puzzle puzzleul (niște) puzzle-uri puzzle-urile
genitive/dative (unui) puzzle puzzleului (unor) puzzle-uri puzzle-urilor
vocative puzzleule puzzle-urilor

Spanish edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

Unadapted borrowing from English puzzle.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): (Spain) /ˈpuθle/ [ˈpuθ.le]
  • IPA(key): (Latin America) /ˈpusle/ [ˈpus.le]
  • (Spain) Rhymes: -uθle
  • (Latin America) Rhymes: -usle
  • Syllabification: puzz‧le

Noun edit

puzzle m (plural puzzles)

  1. jigsaw puzzle

Usage notes edit

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Turkish edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

Unadapted borrowing from English puzzle.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

puzzle (definite accusative puzzle'ı, plural puzzle'lar)

  1. jigsaw puzzle
    Synonyms: pazıl, yapboz

Further reading edit

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