nonplus
[non-pluhs, non-pluhs]
verb (used with object), non·plussed or non·plused, non·plus·sing or non·plus·ing.
to render utterly perplexed; puzzle completely.
noun
a state of utter perplexity.
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RELATED WORDS
mystify, dumbfound, bewilder, faze, disconcert, astound, baffle, astonish, daze, fluster, discountenance, stump, rattle, puzzle, confound, thwart, boggle, paralyze, stymie, stun
Origin of nonplus
1575–85; (noun) < Latin nōn plūs literally, not more, no further, i.e., a state in which nothing more can be done
Synonyms for nonplus
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for nonplus
Historical Examples of nonplus
Peter was puzzled, and scratched his ear like a man at a nonplus.
The Daltons, Volume II (of II)Charles James Lever
They were put to a nonplus, and summoned the Devil to their relief.
A Budget of Paradoxes, Volume I (of II)Augustus De Morgan
The inquiring mind is at a nonplus, and is likely to remain so.
The Old Inns of Old England, Volume II (of 2)Charles G. Harper
This reply seemed to nonplus us all with the exception of Maitland and Godin.
The Darrow EnigmaMelvin L. Severy
Wingate was now at a nonplus, and “could not well tell what to say.”
The Life of John BunyanEdmund Venables
nonplus
verb -plusses, -plussing or -plussed or US -pluses, -plusing or -plused
noun plural -pluses
Word Origin for nonplus
C16: from Latin nōn plūs no further (that is, nothing further can be said or done)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper