English
confound
Confound comes from Middle English confounden ‘destroy, ruin, perplex’, from Latin cōnfundō ‘to mingle, mix together’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- ‘to pour’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰewd-‘to pour’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰunédtireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*hundō‘to pour out’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundō‘pour’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnfundō‘to mingle, mix together’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400cunfundre
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500confounden‘destroy, ruin, perplex’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611confound
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰewd-‘to pour’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰunédtireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*hundō‘to pour out’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundō‘pour’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnfundō‘to mingle, mix together’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400cunfundre
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500confounden‘destroy, ruin, perplex’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611confound
Earliest quotation: 1611, Coryat, Crudities: “There the freſh and ſalt water would meete and…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- ‘to pour’
yet, refuse, gut, fuse, font, effusive, 39 more
through Proto-Italic *hundō ‘to pour out’
confused, diffusion, infusion, foundry, perfusion, profusion, effusion, fondue, 35 more
through Latin fundō ‘pour’
foundation, fundamental, fusion, founder, refund, diffuse, funnel, confuse, infuse, 46 more
through Latin cōnfundō ‘to mingle, mix together’
Today it means
verb To perplex or puzzle.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- / confound