perplexity

From Middle English perplexite, borrowed from Middle French perplexité or post-classical Latin perplexitās, from perplexus (“entangled”). By surface analysis, perplex +‎ -ity.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pəˈplɛksɪti/
• (US) IPA^(key): /pəɹˈplɛksədi/

perplexity (countable and uncountable, plural perplexities)

1. The state or quality of being perplexed.

   Synonyms: puzzlement, bewilderment, confusion

2. Something that perplexes.
   • 1942, Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, Canongate, published 2006, page 149:

     The Emperor, who was by then a focus of unresolvable perplexities, stood providing a strongly contrary appearance.

3. (information theory) A measure of how well a probability distribution or model predicts a sample.