To make someone feel embarrassed, confused, or defeated; to thwart someone's plans or hopes.
From Old French desconfire (to defeat utterly), which combines des- (dis-) + confire (to make or prepare), from Latin conficere (to complete or make), originally meaning military defeat but evolved to mean social or emotional discomfiture.
This word originally meant to completely defeat an army in battle — it's how medieval warriors described devastating military losses — but over centuries it softened to describe the social defeat of embarrassing someone or making them uncomfortable.
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