Confusioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling of the state of being bewildered or muddled in mind ; in older English, the ruin, downfall or destruction of something
2. An older form meaning a jumbled, bewildered state of mind ; a term used in earlier English for utter ruin or wreckage
3. A Middle English variant describing mental muddle or disorder ; an obsolete sense referring to the destruction or overthrow of a person or thing

Etymology: Latin "confundere" literally meant "to pour together," combining "com-" (together) with "fundere" (to pour), the same root behind "fuse" and "infuse." The Latin noun "confusio" grew from it, and Old French carried that noun into English as the form Middle English writers spelled "confusioun." Medieval English used the term for physical ruin and defeat as well as for bewilderment. A city could suffer confusion in the sense of destruction, and a mind could be thrown into confusion in the sense of disorder. The modern spelling with "-ion" settled later, after the Middle English spellings had varied widely.