muffle

Meaning

Noun

1. Anything that mutes or deadens sound.
2. A warm piece of clothing for the hands.
3. (slang) A boxing glove.
4. A kiln or furnace, often electric, with no direct flames (a muffle furnace)
5. The bare end of the nose between the nostrils, especially in ruminants.
6. A machine with two pulleys to hoist load by spinning wheels, polyspast, block and tackle.

Verb

1. To wrap (a person, face etc.) in fabric or another covering, for warmth or protection; often with up.
2. To wrap up or cover (a source of noise) in order to deaden the sound.
3. To mute or deaden (a sound etc.).
4. To speak indistinctly, or without clear articulation.
5. To prevent seeing, or hearing, or speaking, by wraps bound about the head; to blindfold; to deafen.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/mʌfl̩/

Etymology

From Middle English muflen (“to muffle”), aphetic alteration of Anglo-Norman amoufler, from Old French enmoufler (“to wrap up, muffle”), from moufle (“mitten”), from Medieval Latin muffula (“a muff”), of Germanic origin (—first recorded in the Capitulary of Aachen in 817 C.E.), from Frankish *muffël (“a muff, wrap, envelope”) from *mauwa (“sleeve, wrap”) (from Proto-Germanic *mawwō (“sleeve”)) + *vël (“skin, hide”) (from Proto-Germanic *fellą (“skin, film, fleece”). Alternate etymology traces the Medieval Latin word to Frankish *molfell (“soft garment made of hide”) from *mol (“softened, forworn”) (akin to Old High German molawēn (“to soften”), Middle High German molwic (“soft”), English mulch) + *fell (“hide, skin”).