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muff 1 (mŭf)
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v. muffed, muff·ing, muffs
v.tr.
1. To perform or handle clumsily or ineptly; bungle. See Synonyms at botch.
2. Sports To fail to make (a catch).
v.intr.
To perform a task clumsily or ineptly.
n.
1. A clumsy or bungled action.
2. Sports A failure to make a catch.
[Origin unknown.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 
muff 2 (mŭf)
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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, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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