different between thorny vs perplexing

English

Etymology

From Middle English thorny, þorny, þorni, from Old English þorni?, from Proto-West Germanic *þornag. Equivalent to thorn +? -y.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /????ni/
• (US) IPA^(key): /????ni/
• Rhymes: -??(?)ni

Adjective

thorny (comparative thornier, superlative thorniest)

1. having thorns or spines

   Synonyms: prickly, spiny

2. (figuratively) troublesome or vexatious
3. aloof and irritable

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• rhyton

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English þorni?, from Proto-West Germanic *þornag. Equivalent to thorn +? -y.

Alternative forms

• þorny, þorni, thornye, thornee

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???rni?/

Adjective

thorny

1. Having many thorns or spines; thorny.
2. (rare) Covered in thorny plants.
3. (rare) Having a shape like a thorn.

Descendants

• English: thorny
• Scots: thorny

References

• “thorn?, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-09-12.

Etymology 2

From thorn +? -en (“infinitival suffix”).

Verb

thorny

1. Alternative form of thornen

English

Pronunciation

• (US) enPR: p?rpl?ks'?ng, IPA^(key): /p??pl?ks??/

Adjective

perplexing (comparative more perplexing, superlative most perplexing)

1. confusing or puzzling
2. bewildering

Translations

Verb

perplexing

1. present participle of perplex