Confounds

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To mix up multiple elements causing confusion or surprise, while also creating results that contradict initial expectations or understanding
2. To create a state of bewilderment in someone by blending different factors and producing unexpected outcomes that challenge preconceived notions
3. Causes confusion by blending various factors making comprehension difficult ; produces surprise by invalidating what was anticipated

Etymology: The verb "confound" has a surprising pedigree in which the idea of ruin came before the idea of confusion. Its Latin ancestor, "cōnfundō", meant simply "to mingle, mix together", and it is built from "con-", "together", plus "fundere", "to pour". That same pouring root gives us "fusion", and English "found", as in a foundry where metal is melted and poured, is a close relative, though "found" meaning "to start" and "find" are unrelated. The word reached English through Old French "confondre" and Anglo-Norman "cunfundre", and Middle English "confounden" carried a harsher sense: "destroy, ruin, perplex". Mixing things together was seen as throwing them into disorder, and disorder could mean destruction or bewilderment. The sense of being baffled or puzzled, which is the one most familiar today, grew out of that older idea of a mind thrown into a muddle. This form, "confounds", is the third-person singular present of "confound", so it means that something throws a person or expectation into confusion.

Synonyms: confuses, bewilders, puzzles, baffles, perplexes

Antonyms: clarifies, explains, simplifies, reveals, unveils