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puzzle

n. · v.
US //ˈpəzəɫ// UK //pˈʌzəl// puz·zle
  1. 1 a game or toy (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a game, toy, or problem that you solve for fun to test your mental skills.

    a game, toy, or problem designed to test ingenuity or knowledge.

    Example

    She spent the rainy afternoon finishing a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle of the Eiffel Tower.

    Example

    The Sunday newspaper features a cryptic crossword puzzle that challenges even the most literate readers with its complex wordplay.
  2. 2 a mystery or enigma (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    something or someone that is very difficult to understand or explain.

    a person or thing that is difficult to understand or interpret; an enigma.

    Example

    The sudden disappearance of the ship remains a puzzle to investigators many years later.

    Example

    His contradictory behavior is a complete puzzle to his colleagues, who find it impossible to predict his reactions in meetings.
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  1. 3 state of confusion (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the feeling of being confused because you cannot understand something.

    the state of being perplexed or confused by a complicated matter.

    Example

    He looked at the strange instructions in puzzle, wondering if they were written in the wrong language.

    Example

    The scientists were in a state of puzzle over the data, as the results contradicted every established law of physics.
  2. 4 to confuse someone (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to make someone feel confused or worried because they cannot understand something.

    to cause someone to feel confused or perplexed. Transitive — takes a direct object.

    Example

    The complicated math problem seemed to puzzle even the teacher for a moment.

    Example

    The sudden shift in market trends continues to puzzle economists, who had predicted a period of steady growth.
  3. 5 to think hard about (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to think very hard for a long time to try to understand or solve something.

    to think deeply or exert mental effort to resolve a problem. Often used with 'over' or 'about'.

    Example

    I had to puzzle over the map for ten minutes before I realized we were going the wrong way.

    Example

    The detectives spent weeks puzzling over the cryptic note left at the scene, hoping it would lead them to the suspect.

    Usage

    Often takes the prepositions 'over' or 'about'.
Origin

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 posseln, bosseln (“to perform trivial work, tinker”), Danish pusle (“to busy oneself with light work or chores; to be occupied with a task requiring ingenuity, care, and patience; to tinker”), Swedish pyssla (“to do light work; tinker; putter or potter around”), Norwegian Nynorsk pusla, putla (“to potter about”), Faroese putla (“to trifle; potter about; do one's work slowly; be dilatory”), Faroese puss (“damage, trick”). * An early form of the word is pusle, which is similar to Old English puslian (“to pick out the best bits, carefully select, cull”). It is possible that the meaning of the word evolved from “to pick out the best bits”, to “to think long and carefully in bewilderment while choosing what to pick out”, to “to think long and carefully in bewilderment”. However, there is no evidence in Middle English or modern English of any intermediate words with these meanings. * Alternatively, it has been suggested that the word is from pose (“(obsolete) to interrogate, question”) + -le (frequentative suffix). However, the Oxford English Dictionary notes that early forms of the word are all spelled with -u-, and that a sound change in Middle English from ō to u “is not easily accounted for”. * Finally, it has been suggested that the past participle form of the word is attested by Middle English poselet. This is thought to be unlikely by the Oxford English Dictionary as poselet is attested in only one quotation with the meaning “jostled, pushed”, which does not have any connection with the current senses of the word. The noun appears to be derived from the verb.

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