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muff
- 9 dictionary resultsmuff
[muhf] 
–noun
| 1. | a thick, tubular case for the hands, covered with fur or other material, used by women and girls for warmth and as a handbag. |
| 2. | a bungled or clumsy action or performance. |
| 3. | Sports. a failure to hold onto a ball that may reasonably be expected to be caught successfully. |
| 4. | a tuft of feathers on the sides of the head of certain fowls. |
| 5. | Slang: Vulgar. a woman's pubic area. |
| 6. | See under muff glass. |
–verb (used with object)
| 7. | Informal. to bungle; handle clumsily: He muffed a good opportunity. |
| 8. | Sports. to fail to hold onto (a ball that may reasonably be expected to be caught successfully); fumble. |
–verb (used without object)
| 9. | Informal. to bungle; perform clumsily. |
Origin:
1590–1600; < D mof, earlier moffel, muffel mitten, muff < ONF moufle < early ML muffula, perh. < Frankish
1590–1600; < D mof, earlier moffel, muffel mitten, muff < ONF moufle < early ML muffula, perh. < Frankish
Related forms:
muffy, adjective
muff glass
–noun
| sheet glass made from a blown cylinder (muff) that is split and flattened. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To muff
| muff 1 (mŭf) v. muffed, muff·ing, muffs v. tr.
To perform an act clumsily. n.
[Origin unknown.] |
| muff 2 (mŭf) n.
[Dutch mof, from Middle Dutch moffel, from Old French mofle, mitten, from Medieval Latin muffula, perhaps of Germanic origin.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Muff
Muff\ (m[u^]f), n. [Cf. LG. muff, D. mof, G., Dan., & Sw. muff, F. moufle mitten, LL. muffula, MHG. mouwe sleeve, D. mouw, and E. muffle, v.]1. A soft cover of cylindrical form, usually of fur, worn by women to shield the hands from cold. 2. (Mech.) A short hollow cylinder surrounding an object, as a pipe. 3. (Glass Manuf.) A blown cylinder of glass which is afterward flattened out to make a sheet. 4. [Perhaps a different word; cf. Prov. E. maffle to slammer.] A stupid fellow; a poor-spirited person. [Colloq.] "A muff of a curate." --Thackeray. 5. [See 4.] (Baseball) A failure to hold a ball when once in the hands. 6. (Zo["o]l.) The whitethroat. [Prov. Eng.]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : muff
Spanish:
manguito,
German:
die Buchse,
Japanese:
スリーブ管
muff (n.)
"warm covering for the hands," 1599, from Du. mof "a muff," shortened from M.Du. moffel "mitten, muff," from M.Fr. moufle "mitten," from O.Fr. moufle "thick glove," from M.L. muffula "a muff," of unknown origin. In 17c.-18c. also worn by men. Meaning "vulva and pubic hair" is from 1699; muff-diver "one who performs cunnilingus" is from 1935.
muff (v.)
"to bungle," 1827, pugilism slang, related to muff (n.) "awkward person" (1837), perhaps from muff (n.) on notion of someone clumsy because his hands are in a muff.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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muff
in wearing apparel, usually cylindrical covering of fur, fabric, feathers, or other soft material, with open ends into which the hands are placed to keep them warm. Originally a purse and hand warmer in one, the muff was first introduced to women's fashion in 1570, when fur trimming was becoming popular
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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