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muff

 - 5 dictionary results

muff

[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


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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muff 1   (mŭf)   
v.   muffed, muff·ing, muffs

v.   tr.
  1. To perform or handle clumsily; bungle. See Synonyms at botch.

  2. Sports To fail to make (a catch).

v.   intr.
To perform an act clumsily.
n.  
  1. A clumsy or bungled action.

  2. Sports A failure to make a catch.


[Origin unknown.]
muff 2   (mŭf)   
n.  
  1. A small cylindrical fur or cloth cover, open at both ends, in which the hands are placed for warmth.

  2. A cluster of feathers on the side of the face of certain breeds of fowl.

  3. Vulgar Slang The vulva.


[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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Encyclopedia

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

Learn more about muff with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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