Nearby Words

mystify

[mis-tuh-fahy] Origin

mys·ti·fy

[mis-tuh-fahy]
verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing.
1.
to perplex (a person) by playing upon the person's credulity; bewilder purposely.
2.
to involve in mystery or obscurity.

Origin:
1805–15; < French mystifier, equivalent to mysti- (irregular combining form of mystique mystic or mystère mystery1) + -fier -fy

mys·ti·fi·ca·tion, noun
mys·ti·fied·ly, adverb
mys·ti·fi·er, noun
mys·ti·fy·ing·ly, adverb
o·ver·mys·ti·fi·ca·tion, noun
EXPAND
o·ver·mys·ti·fy, verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing.
un·mys·ti·fied, adjective
COLLAPSE


1. fool, mislead, elude, puzzle.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To mystify

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Mystify is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
chat, to converse
Collins
World English Dictionary
mystify (ˈmɪstɪˌfaɪ)
 
vb , -fies, -fying, -fied
1.  to confuse, bewilder, or puzzle
2.  to make mysterious or obscure
 
[C19: from French mystifier, from mystèremystery1 or mystiquemystic]
 
mystifi'cation
 
n
 
'mystifier
 
n
 
'mystifying
 
adj
 
'mystifyingly
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

mystify
1814, from Fr. mystifier (1772), a verb formed irregularly from mystique "a mystic," from L. mysticus (see mystic). Related: Mystified; mystifying.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature