Muf"fle (mŭf"f'l), n. The
bare end of the nose between the nostrils; -- used esp. of
ruminants.
Muf"fle, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Muffled (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Muffling (?).] [Cf. F. moufle a mitten, LL.
muffula, OD. moffel a muff. See Muff.]
1. To wrap up in something that conceals or
protects; to wrap, as the face and neck, in thick and disguising
folds; hence, to conceal or cover the face of; to envelop; to
inclose; -- often with up. South.
The face lies muffled up within the
garment.
Addison.
He muffled with a cloud his mournful
eyes.
Dryden.
Muffled up in darkness and
superstition.
Arbuthnot.
2. To prevent seeing, or hearing, or
speaking, by wraps bound about the head; to blindfold; to
deafen.
3. To wrap with something that dulls or
deadens the sound of; as, to muffle the strings of a drum, or
that part of an oar which rests in the rowlock.
Muf"fle, v. i. [Cf. F. maffle,
mumble, D. moffelen.] To speak indistinctly, or
without clear articulation.
Muf"fle, n. [F. moufle, prop., a
mitten, from the resemblance in shape. See Muffle, v.
t., Muff.] 1. Anything with
which another thing, as an oar or drum, is muffled; also, a boxing
glove; a muff.
2. (Metal.) An earthenware compartment
or oven, often shaped like a half cylinder, used in furnaces to
protect objects heated from the direct action of the fire, as in
scorification of ores, cupellation of ore buttons, etc.
3. (Ceramics) A small oven for baking
and fixing the colors of painted or printed pottery, without exposing
the pottery to the flames of the furnace or kiln.
4. A pulley block containing several
sheaves. Knight.
