different between puzzle vs surprise

English

Etymology

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).

Pronunciation

• enPR: p?z??l, IPA^(key): /?p?z?l/
• Rhymes: -?z?l

Noun

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

Synonyms

• (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

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

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.
   • 1688, Henry More, Divine Dialogues

     A very shrewd disputant in those points is dexterous in puzzling others, if they be not thoroughpaced speculators in those great theories.

   • He is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidst his own blunders.
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; to entangle.

   • The ways of Heav'n are dark and intricate, / Puzzled in mazes, and perplex'd with error.

   • They disentangle from the puzzled skein.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:confuse

Derived terms

Translations

Related terms

• puzzlement

References

Anagrams

• puzzel

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from English puzzle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?pazl?]
• (nonstandard, hyperforeign) IPA^(key): [?put?sl?]

Noun

puzzle m

1. jigsaw puzzle

Usage notes

Also used as an indeclinable noun of various genders, most often neuter.

Although the standard pronunciation of this word, which has been borrowed from English, is /?pazl?/, another common informal pronunciation is /?put?sle/, which is a hyperforeignism, trying to apply either Italian (as in pizza) or more probably German pronunciation rules. However, both Italian and German pronunciation of the word puzzle is different.

Declension

References

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English puzzle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pœ.zœl/, /pœzl/

Noun

puzzle m (plural puzzles)

1. jigsaw puzzle

Further reading

• “puzzle” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English puzzle.

Noun

puzzle m (invariable)

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

Polish

Etymology

From English puzzle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?puz.l?/
• IPA^(key): /?put?s.l?/ (nonstandard)

Noun

puzzle m inan

1. jigsaw puzzle

Declension

Derived terms

• (noun) puzzel

Further reading

• puzzle in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• puzzle in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Spanish

Alternative forms

• puzle

Etymology

Borrowed from English puzzle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /?pu?le/, [?pu?.le]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /?pusle/, [?pus.le]

Noun

puzzle m (plural puzzles)

1. jigsaw puzzle

English

Alternative forms

• surprize (US, rare)

Etymology

From Middle English surprise, borrowed from Middle French surprise (“an overtake”), nominal use of the past participle of Old French sorprendre (“to overtake”), from sor- (“over”) + prendre (“to take”), from Latin super- + Latin prendere, contracted from prehendere (“to grasp, seize”). Doublet of suppli.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /s??p?a?z/
• (General American) enPR: s?rpr?z?, IPA^(key): /s??p?a?z/
• (General American, r-dissimilation) enPR: s?pr?z?, IPA^(key): /s??p?a?z/
• Hyphenation: sur?prise
• Rhymes: -a?z

Noun

surprise (countable and uncountable, plural surprises)

1. Something unexpected.
   • 2013, Daniel Taylor, Rickie Lambert’s debut goal gives England victory over Scotland (in The Guardian, 14 August 2013)[1]

     They had begun brightly but the opening goal was such a blow to their confidence it almost came as a surprise when Walcott, running through the inside-right channel, beat the offside trap and, checking back on to his left foot, turned a low shot beyond Allan McGregor in the Scotland goal.

   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Surprise! - A party! Awesome!

2. The feeling that something unexpected has happened.
3. (obsolete) A dish covered with a crust of raised pastry, but with no other contents.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of King to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (something unexpected): more than one bargained for
• (attributively: unexpected): unexpected
• (feeling): astonishment

Derived terms

• take by surprise
• surpriseful
• surpriseless

Translations

Verb

surprise (third-person singular simple present surprises, present participle surprising, simple past and past participle surprised)

1. (transitive) To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted by something unexpected.

2. (transitive) To do something to (a person) that they are not expecting, as a surprise.

3. (intransitive) To undergo or witness something unexpected.

4. (intransitive) To cause surprise.
5. (transitive) To attack unexpectedly.
6. (transitive) To take unawares.

Synonyms

• (to come upon unexpectedly): overtake

Translations

Anagrams

• spurries, uprisers

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French surprise.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s?r?pri?z?/
• Hyphenation: sur?pri?se
• Rhymes: -i?z?

Noun

surprise f (plural surprises, diminutive surprisetje n)

1. (Netherlands) a gift wrapped in an ingenious or creative manner; often given anonymously during Sinterklaas celebrations in a similar way to secret Santa
2. a surprise gift
3. (obsolete) a surprise

   Synonym: verrassing

Derived terms

• sinterklaassurprise

French

Etymology

From the feminine of surpris, past participle of the verb surprendre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sy?.p?iz/

Verb

surprise

1. feminine singular of the past participle of surprendre

Adjective

surprise

1. feminine singular of surpris

Noun

surprise f (plural surprises)

1. surprise (something unexpected)

Derived terms

• quelle surprise

Further reading

• “surprise” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Middle French

Noun

surprise f (plural surprises)

1. Alternative form of surprinse

Adjective

surprise

1. feminine singular of surpris

Verb

surprise

1. feminine singular of the past participle of surprendre