confounded
UK[kənˈfaʊndɪd]US[kənˈfaʊndɪd]
adj
Used to emphasize anger or annoyance.
adj
archaic. Used to express mild annoyance or to describe someone as confused or defeated.
Morpheme Breakdown
con
found
ed
con
together
found
to pour
ed
Etymology
The word 'confounded' originates from the Middle English 'confounden', which came from the Anglo-French 'confundre'. This, in turn, derives from the Latin 'confundere', meaning 'to pour together', 'to mix up', or 'to confuse', from 'com-' (together) and 'fundere' (to pour). The literal image of liquids being mingled into disorder evolved metaphorically to signify mental confusion, ruin, or defeat. By the late 16th century, its participial form began to be used as a mild oath or intensive adjective to express annoyance, a usage that has persisted while its original sense of 'confused' has become archaic.
Analysis
Structure: con + found + ed
- con: Latin origin, a prefix meaning 'together' or 'completely', used here as an intensifier.
- found: From Latin fundere, meaning 'to pour' or 'to melt'. In this context, it evolved to mean 'to mix up' or 'to ruin'.
- ed: Old English origin, a suffix used to form the past participle of verbs, here also functioning to create an adjective.
Examples
That confounded noise is making it impossible to concentrate.
I've been confounded by this puzzle for hours.
Get that confounded cat off the table!