Where does “muff” come from?
Muff comes from Dutch mof, from Dutch moffel, from Middle French moufle, from Old French mofle, from Frankish molfell, from Frankish mol, from Proto-Indo-European pel-.
muff (English): A piece of fur or cloth, usually with open ends,...
Definitions
- A piece of fur or cloth, usually with open ends,...
Ancestry of “muff”, step by step
muff traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch mof
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | mof | muff; Piece to protect pipes where they are... |
| 2 | Dutch | moffel | — |
| 3 | Middle French | moufle | — |
| 4 | Old French | mofle | thick glove |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | muffula | a muff; muff |
| 6 | Frankish | molfell | soft garment made of hide |
| 7 | Middle High German | mol | — |
| 8 | Old High German | mol | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | mulô | muzzle |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | molh₂-o- | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |