mystifying
Meaning
causing feelings of confusion or wonder; impossible to understand or explain.
Structure
Usage
the magician's most mystifying trick left the entire audience in stunned silence.
i find his sudden change of heart completely mystifying.
the instructions were so mystifying that nobody could assemble the furniture correctly.
Etymology
the word 'mystifying' is built upon the ancient greek root 'myst-', which pertains to the secret rites and esoteric knowledge of the mystery religions. this root entered english via latin and french, carrying the sense of something hidden or obscure. the latin-derived suffix '-ify' was attached to form the verb 'mystify', meaning 'to make mysterious or obscure'. finally, the present participle/adjectival suffix '-ing' transforms the action into a state, resulting in the modern meaning of causing bewilderment or being incomprehensible. thus, the literal construction 'making something secret' evolved into the abstract sense of rendering something perplexing.
Analysis
myst (from latin mysticus, from greek mystikos, relating to secret rites or mysteries; functional role: root conveying the core concept of secrecy or hidden knowledge). ify (from latin -ificare, a verb-forming suffix meaning 'to make'; functional role: derivational suffix converting the noun/root into a verb). ing (from old english -ende, -ung; functional role: suffix forming present participles and adjectives from verbs).