I don’t know much about math. Try as I may, it just never clicks with me. I understand all the basics. I know what plus is. And minus.
But then the English language gets in the way and gives us a word. Like “nonplus.”
It seems like it should be some mathematical term. Perhaps a negative number or something. Yet. That isn’t it at all.
So.
What the heckins does “nonplus” mean?
Nonplus is a word that means to confuse someone so completely that they don’t know what to say or do next.
It can be used as a verb or an adjective.
As a verb? To nonplus someone is to leave them baffled or at a loss.
“The question nonplussed him.”
“Her sudden calm nonplussed the entire room.”
As an adjective, it is this way. Nonplussed describes the feeling of being stumped, perplexed, or momentarily frozen.
“I was completely nonplussed by the ending of the story.”
“He looked nonplussed when the plan failed.”
Here is an important note. And this thing seems to trip people up quite often. In American English, nonplussed means confused. It does not mean calm or unfazed.
But some British usage has drifted toward “unbothered,” or “calm,” which causes confusion.
At any rate. To nonplus someone is to leave them momentarily stranded. Mentally blinking. It’s that pause when our brains stall out because reality has taken an unexpected turn.
It could come in the form of an odd question from a stranger. It could be a comment that doesn’t fit the moment at hand. And on.
We all know the feeling. Our mouths are wide open, but nothing useful comes out.
The history of the word explains everything. Non plus comes from Latin, meaning “no more.” As in: you’ve reached the end of the road. No more arguments. No more certainty.
So there it is. I was confused about its confusing meaning
And yet, I’ve come to love the word, now that I know it. All because it names a very human moment. We’re so often expected to be quick, articulate, decisive. But nonplus gives us permission to admit that sometimes we just don’t know what we don’t know. Sometimes we are stopped in our tracks by those little life moments. The brain hiccups.
And maybe that’s where curiosity begins. Where we realize we don’t always need an immediate answer. But we are also willing to find one.
Sometimes being nonplussed is just life reminding us that we don’t have it all figured out. And that’s just fine.
After all, growth rarely happens when everything makes perfect sense.
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“I am not confused. I am just well mixed.” — Robert Frost
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“The beginning of wisdom is the admission of one’s own ignorance.” — Socrates
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“To be puzzled is to be alive.” — Ray Bradbury
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