{"id":4429,"date":"2026-04-25T15:07:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T15:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4429"},"modified":"2026-04-25T15:07:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T15:07:02","slug":"adventures-in-etymology-entangled-perplexity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4429","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Etymology &#8211; Entangled Perplexity"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Entangled Perplexity\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-04-25T15:07:02+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT1M55S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we untangle the perplexing roots of the word perplexity.\n\n\n\nPerplexity [p\u0259\u02c8pl\u025bks\u026ati \/ p\u0259\u0279\u02c8pl\u025bks\u0259ti] is: \n\nThe state or quality of being perplexed (puzzled, confused, bewildered)\nSomething that perplexes.\n(information th...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/entangledperplexity.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.0\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_1926\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4429-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/entangledperplexity.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/entangledperplexity.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/entangledperplexity.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/entangledperplexity.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4429-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/entangledperplexity.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"entangledperplexity.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we untangle the perplexing roots of the word <strong>perplexity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/pietroizzo\/6661256449\/in\/photolist-b9CFt8-2qgkeXv-8cdWGg-exqVbL-2LG5zi-aEepiK-3DpiYP-2hW9itn-Q9CpR-32KJdB-aaEpFA-2rGFbzf-kw1Jk-oRxb17-2mg5nRa-2iSCfiP-28wnoKt-8xCZ4k-QNkYM9-h1LjWX-2rYrjpF-2rjbyTJ-2riY5A2-py4L5Q-2oPgeeu-6EShqY-2qFHysW-2kbPp31-5HQ6qQ-2kvQRMF-eaMc55-GyRAXd-tbo1sm-Mvyu2-2rFiqhF-2qZiZx8-wWXjtV-2oBWG6f-2qUCWHv-2fyeoG1-isSpzY-2rdmzKF-isSfQV-isS4Fk-isSoik-isTaoZ-e9199r-isSR1Q-in8avU-in8gLj\" title=\"Perplexity\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/7033\/6661256449_25589837f6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"478\" alt=\"Perplexity\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Perplexity<\/strong> [p\u0259\u02c8pl\u025bks\u026ati \/ p\u0259\u0279\u02c8pl\u025bks\u0259ti] is: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The state or quality of being perplexed (puzzled, confused, bewildered)<\/li>\n<li>Something that perplexes.<\/li>\n<li>(<em>information theory<\/em>) A measure of how well a probability distribution or model predicts a sample.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It comes from Middle English <em>perplexite<\/em> ([a state of] doubt, confusion), from Middle French <em>perplexite<\/em> (perplexed, uncertain), from Latin <em>perplexit\u0101s<\/em> (perplexity, state of bewilderment, obscurity), from <em>perplexus<\/em> (entangled, involved, intricate, confused, complicated), from <em>per-<\/em> (very) and <em>plect\u0113re<\/em> (to weave, twist), from Proto-Italic <em>*plekt\u014d<\/em>, from PIE <em>*ple\u1e31-<\/em> (to fold, weave),  from <em>*pel-<\/em> (to wrap) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/perplexity#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same roots include <strong>\u03c0\u03bb\u03ad\u03ba\u03c9<\/strong> (pl\u00e9ko &#8211; to knit, weave, tangle) in Greek, <strong>pl\u00e9st <\/strong> (to braid, plait, knit) in Czech, <strong>fl\u00e4ta<\/strong> (braid, plait) in Swedish, <strong>vlak<\/strong> (flat, place) in Dutch, and <strong>flax<\/strong> and <strong>flay<\/strong> in English [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European\/ple%E1%B8%B1-\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>The English suffix <strong>-plex<\/strong>, as in <strong>complex<\/strong>, <strong>duplex<\/strong>, <strong>multiplex<\/strong>, possibly comes from the same roots [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/-plex#English\">source<\/a>]. <\/p>\n<p>If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/uk\/cgi-bin\/webscr?cmd=_flow&amp;SESSION=aLjPfXL-vP_1gQ_U23Iz8_hSWLlhzLHPMFZrt32dIEfG8htoNFLYaPoWkv8&amp;dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8def8934b92a630e40b7fef61ab7e9fe63\">PayPal<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/omniglot\">Patreon<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/donations.htm\">contribute to Omniglot in other ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with <a href=\"https:\/\/blubrry.com\/services\/podcast-hosting\/?code=omniglot\">Blubrry Podcast Hosting<\/a>, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code <strong>omniglot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.japanesepod101.com\/member\/go.php?r=759259&amp;i=b0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/banners\/banner_japanesepod.jpg\" alt=\"The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com\" width=\"630\" height=\"83\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/\">Omniglot Blog<\/a>, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/\">Celtiadur<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n   crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Blog horizontal --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n   style=\"display:block\"\n   data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n   data-ad-slot=\"1685480124\"\n   data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n   data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n   (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Entangled Perplexity\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-04-25T15:07:02+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT1M55S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we untangle the perplexing roots of the word perplexity.\n\n\n\nPerplexity [p\u0259\u02c8pl\u025bks\u026ati \/ p\u0259\u0279\u02c8pl\u025bks\u0259ti] is: \n\nThe state or quality of being perplexed (puzzled, confused, bewildered)\nSomething that perplexes.\n(information th...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/entangledperplexity.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.0\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_1927\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4429-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/entangledperplexity.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/entangledperplexity.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/entangledperplexity.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/entangledperplexity.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4429-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/entangledperplexity.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"entangledperplexity.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we untangle the perplexing roots of the word perplexity. Perplexity [p\u0259\u02c8pl\u025bks\u026ati \/ p\u0259\u0279\u02c8pl\u025bks\u0259ti] is: The state or quality of being perplexed (puzzled, confused, bewildered) Something that perplexes. (information theory) A measure of how well a probability distribution or model predicts a sample. It comes from Middle English perplexite ([a state [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,33,47,20,56,61,4,50,58,140,11,1,59,133,30],"tags":[421,419,90,9,167,15,88,418,417,8,103],"class_list":["post-4429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures-in-etymology","category-czech","category-dutch","category-english","category-etymology","category-greek-","category-language","category-latin","category-middle-english","category-middle-french","category-music","category-podcast","category-proto-indo-european","category-proto-italic","category-swedish","tag-bewilderrment","tag-confusion","tag-etymology","tag-language","tag-linguistics","tag-music","tag-omniglot","tag-perplexed","tag-perplexity","tag-podcast","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4429"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4431,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4429\/revisions\/4431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}