confound
Definitions
To confuse or puzzle someone greatly
使困惑，使迷惑
To prove (an expectation, prediction, or critic) wrong
驳倒，使（预期、预言）落空
To mix up or fail to tell two things apart
混淆，分不清
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedDespite the spelling, confound is NOT from fundus 'bottom.' It comes from con- (together) + Latin fundere ('to pour') = 'to pour together.' When things are poured together they blur and can no longer be told apart — hence to confuse, and to confound expectations is to scramble what people predicted.
Root fund still carries 32 more wordsWhy It Means This
A useful false friend inside this root page: confound sits with confuse, fuse, and infuse (all from fundere 'pour'), not with fund and foundation (from fundus 'bottom'). Same three letters, different Latin verb.
Common Collocations
- 1.confound expectations打破期望
Example Sentences
- 1.
The test results confounded the doctors completely.
- 2.
The small team confounded critics by winning the title.