I.entangled, involved, intricate, confused (not in Cic. or Cæs.).
I. Lit.: “figurae,” Lucr. 2, 102; cf. id. 2, 459; 463: “foramina linguae,” id. 4, 621: “corpora terraï,” id. 5, 452: “iter silvae,” Verg. A. 9, 391; Plin. 9, 2, 1, § 2: “nervi,” Vulg. Job, 40, 12.—
II. Trop., intricate, involved, confused, perplexed, unintelligible, dark, ambiguous, obscure, inscrutable: “sermones,” Liv. 40, 5: “perplexius carmen,” id. 25, 12: “perplexum Punico astu responsum,” id. 35, 14 fin.—As subst., intricacy, perplexity: “ignorare se dixit, quidnam perplexi sua legatio haberet,” id. 34, 57.—Comp.: “ratio perplexior,” Plin. 2, 15, 13, § 62.—Hence, adv.: perplexē , confusedly, perplexedly, obscurely: “pergin', scelesta, mecum perplexe loqui?” Ter. Eun. 5, 1, 1: “defectionem haud perplexe indicavere,” Liv. 6, 13; Curt. 8, 5, 13.—Comp.: “perplexius errare,” Prud. adv. Symm. 2, 847: “disputans,” Amm. 25, 3, 23.—
B. Carefully, with minute care: “interrogando,” Amm. 15, 1, 1.