To make someone uncertain or bewildered, to mix things up together, or to make something difficult to understand.
From Old French 'confus,' from Latin 'confusus' meaning 'mixed together' or 'disordered,' derived from 'confundere' ('to mix together'). The prefix 'con-' means 'together' and 'fundere' means 'to pour,' so it literally means 'to pour together.'
The Latin root 'fundere' (to pour) shows up in 'confuse' (pour together), 'transfusion' (pour across), and 'refund' (pour back)! Even though they seem unrelated, they all literally involve pouring or mixing—showing how metaphors from physical actions built ancient languages.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.