muff

muff

a cylindrical covering of fur or other soft material into which the hands are placed from either end to keep them warm
a tuft of feathers on the sides of the head, or on the legs, of certain fowl
1. Sports a failure to hold the ball when attempting to catch it
2. any bungling action

Origin of muff

Dutch mof from Wal moufe, shortened from French moufle, a mitten from Medieval Latin muffla, glove

to do (something) badly or awkwardly
Sports to miss (a catch) or bungle (a play)

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"muff." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 01 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Muff>.

APA Style

muff. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Muff

muff

verb

muffed, muff·ing, muffs

verb

transitive

To perform or handle clumsily or ineptly; bungle. See Synonyms at botch.
Sports To fail to make (a catch).

verb

intransitive

To perform a task clumsily or ineptly.

noun

A clumsy or bungled action.
Sports A failure to make a catch.

Origin of muff

Origin unknown

noun

A small cylindrical fur or cloth cover, open at both ends, in which the hands are placed for warmth.
A cluster of feathers on the side of the face of certain breeds of fowl.
Vulgar Slang The vulva.

Origin of muff

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, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"muff." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 01 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Muff>.

APA Style

muff. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Muff

Noun

(plural muffs)

(historical) A piece of fur or cloth, usually with open ends, used for keeping the hands warm.
(slang) Female pubic hair; the vulva.
(glassblowing) A blown cylinder of glass which is afterward flattened out to make a sheet.
The feathers sticking out from both sides of the face under the beak of some birds.
A short hollow cylinder surrounding an object such as a pipe.

Origin

Probably from Dutch mof (“muff, mitten").

Noun

(plural muffs)

(colloquial) A fool, a stupid or poor-spirited person. [from 19th c.]
(slang, chiefly sports) An error, a mistake; a failure to hold a ball when once in the hands. [from 19th c.]
A bird, the whitethroat.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present muffs, present participle muffing, simple past and past participle muffed)

(sports) To drop or mishandle (the ball, a catch etc.); to play badly. [from 19th c.]
To mishandle; to bungle. [from 1920s]

Origin

Origin unknown; perhaps a specialised use of Etymology 1, above.

Noun

(plural muffs)

(slang) A muffin.

Origin

Shortening.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"muff." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 01 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Muff>.

APA Style

muff. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Muff

Synonyms

SentencesSentence examples

muff

muff

Sentence Examples

Also Mentioned In

WORDS NEAR muff IN THE DICTIONARY

muff

muff

Sentence Examples

Also Mentioned In

WORDS NEAR muff IN THE DICTIONARY

Join YourDictionary today