puzzle

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]

• enPR: pŭzʹəl, IPA^(key): /ˈpʌzəl/

• Audio (Canada):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌzəl

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

• (anything difficult to understand or make sense of): anybody's guess, anyone's guess, conundrum, enigma, mystery
• (game for one person): brain-teaser, poser
• (crossword puzzle): crossword, crossword puzzle
• (jigsaw puzzle):: jigsaw, jigsaw puzzle
• (riddle): guessing game, riddle

• → Korean: 퍼즐 (peojeul)

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 (date delivered; 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], “The First Dialogue”, in Divine Dialogues, Containing Sundry Disquisitions & Instructions Concerning the Attributes of God and His Providence in the World. […], London: […] James Flesher, →OCLC, paragraph II, page 7:

     [H]e has a very ſmart VVit, and is a very ſhrevvd Diſputant in thoſe Points himſelf ſeems moſt puzzled in, and is therein very dexterous in puzzling others, if they be not thorough-paced 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.

     The spelling has been modernized.

   • 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, N.Y.: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, 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 or difficult to resolve; to entangle.
   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2:

     The Ways of Heav’n are dark and intricate, / Puzzled in Mazes, and perplext with Errors; / Our Underſtanding traces ’em in vain, / Loſt and bewilder’d in the fruitleſs Search; […]

   • 1782–1785, William Cowper, “(please specify the page)”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson;  […], →OCLC:

     They disentangle from the puzzled skein.

• See also Thesaurus:confuse

• puzzlement

• puzzel

Borrowed from English puzzle.^[1]

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

puzzle m inan or n or f

1. jigsaw puzzle

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.

when masculine:

Indeclinable when neuter or feminine.

Unadapted borrowing from English puzzle.

• IPA^(key): /pœ.zœl/, /pœzl/, /pyzl/

• Audio:

  (file)

puzzle m (plural puzzles)

1. jigsaw puzzle

• “puzzle”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Borrowed from English puzzle.

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

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

or

or ^[1][2]

• kirak (“to do [a jigsaw puzzle]”)

Unadapted borrowing from English puzzle.

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

puzzle m (invariable)

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

Borrowed from English puzzle, with a hyperforeign alternative pronunciation.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpu.zlɛ/, (nonstandard) /ˈpu.t͡slɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uzlɛ, -ut͡slɛ
• Syllabification: puzz‧le

puzzle nvir pl

1. jigsaw puzzle (type of puzzle in which the aim is to reconstruct a picture that has been cut (originally, with a jigsaw) into many small interlocking pieces)

puzzle m animal

1. nominative/accusative/vocative plural of puzzel

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

Unadapted borrowing from English puzzle.

puzzle m (plural puzzles)

1. jigsaw puzzle

Unadapted borrowing from English puzzle.

puzzle n (plural puzzle-uri)

1. puzzle

• puzle

Borrowed from English puzzle.

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

puzzle m (plural puzzles)

1. jigsaw puzzle

The current RAE recommended spelling is puzle.

• pazıl

Unadapted borrowing from English puzzle.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpa.zɯɫ/

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

1. jigsaw puzzle

   Synonyms: pazıl, yapboz

• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “puzzle”, in Nişanyan Sözlük