different between thorny vs puzzling

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

Verb

puzzling

1. present participle of puzzle

Adjective

puzzling (comparative more puzzling, superlative most puzzling)

1. Difficult to understand or explain; enigmatic or confusing; perplexing.

Translations

Noun

puzzling (plural puzzlings)

1. Time spent pondering something confusing.