Etymologically
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flummox

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 02:01. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈflʌməks/[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.[2][3][4] It is probably from an English dialect;[5][2] the OED finds candidate words in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Cheshire and Sheffield,[2] and calls the formation onomatopoeic, suggesting throwing something down roughly.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To bring to confusion; to confound or bewilder (1834 in Etymonline; 1837 in the OED and Merriam-Webster).[2][6][3]

Semantic evolution

It was a slang or cant word in English and Australian use,[2] earlier meaning to beat someone so as to bewilder them (1832, in trial testimony).[2] In American colloquial use (1839) it also meant to give up or collapse.[6][1] The general sense of perplexing someone is now the usual one.[5][3]

Timeline

  • 1832 – to beat so as to bewilder.[2]
  • 1834 – to perplex, bewilder.[2]
  • 1837 – to confound, nonplus.[6][3]
  • 1839 – US, to give up, collapse.[6]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To confuse or perplex; to bewilder.
  2. To give up or collapse.
  • flabbergast
  • bamboozle
  • confound

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press