Hyphenation
muf·fleTurkish pronunciation
mʌfılSynonyms
conceal,
cover,
cushion,
dampen,
deaden,
decrease,
drown,
dull,
envelop,
gag,
hide,
hush,
mellow,
mute,
muzzlePronunciation
/ˈməfəl/ /ˈmʌfəl/
Etymology
[ 'm&-f&l ] (transitive verb.) 15th century. 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 CE), from Frankish *muffël "a muff, wrap, envelope" from *muff- "sleeve, wrap" (from Proto-Germanic *mauvō (“sleeve”)) + *vël "skin, hide" (from Proto-Germanic *fillan (“skin, film, fleece”) from Proto-Indo-European *pel(e)(w)-, *plē(w)- (“skin, hide”)). Akin to Middle High German mouwe, mōwe (“sleeve”) (German Muff "muff", Dutch mouw "sleeve"). 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") + *fell (“hide, skin”). Akin to Old High German fel (“fell, skin, hide”), Old English fell (“fell, skin, hide”). More at mulch, fell, camouflage.