baffle
Meanings
- To confuse or perplex (someone) completely; to bewilder, to confound, to puzzle.
- To defeat, frustrate, or thwart (someone or their efforts, plans, etc.); to confound, to foil.
- Of weather or wind: to hinder or prevent (a ship or its crew) from advancing.
- To dampen, muffle, restrain, or otherwise control (a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid such as light or sound).
- To deceive or hoodwink (someone); to gull.
- Followed by away or out: to deprive of (something) through cheating or manipulation; also (followed by out of), to deprive of something by cheating or manipulating (someone).
- To expend effort or struggle in vain.
- To argue or complain in a petty or trivial manner; to quibble.
- A device used to dampen, muffle, restrain, or otherwise control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid such as light or sound; specifically, a surface positioned inside an open area to inhibit direct motion from one place to another without preventing motion altogether.
- A lever for operating the throttle valve of a winding engine.
- A device to prevent the spreading of sound or light.
- A barrier designed to obstruct and confuse enemies, rendering them vulnerable.
- An argument or objection based on an ambiguity of wording or similar trivial circumstance; a minor complaint; a quibble.
- To publicly disgrace (someone); specifically, a recreant knight.
- To treat (someone) with contempt; to disgrace; also, to speak of (someone or something) in contemptuous terms; to speak ill of, to vilify.
- Intentional insult; affront; also, disgrace; (countable) an instance of this.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly: * from French bafouer, baffoüer (“to abuse, revile; to confuse, baffle; to deceive; to flout; to scorn”), imitative of someone making a disdainful sound by expelling air quickly through pouted lips (compare Occitan baf (interjection expressing disdain)); or * from French befer, beffer, beffler (“(obsolete) to deceive; to mock, ridicule”) (compare Old French befe, beffe, buffe (“deception; mockery”); beferie (“deceit; quibbling”)), possibly from bafouer: see above. The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates * Italian beffare (“(verb) to deride, mock”), beffa (“(noun) banter; mockery”) * Occitan bafar (“(verb) to deride, mock”), bafa (“(noun) banter; mockery”) * Old Spanish bafa (modern Spanish befa (“(noun) banter; mockery”)) * Spanish befar (“(verb) to deride, mock”)