Where does “mufflehead” come from?
mufflehead (English) comes from English muffle, from Middle English muflen, from Anglo-Norman amoufler, from Old French enmoufler, from Old French moufle, from Medieval Latin muffula, from Frankish molfell, from Middle High German mol — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
mufflehead (English): A chironomid
Definitions
- A chironomid
Ancestry of “mufflehead”, step by step
mufflehead traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English muffle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | muffle | Anything that mutes or deadens sound; A warm... |
| 2 | Middle English | muflen | to muffle |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | amoufler | — |
| 4 | Old French | enmoufler | to wrap up, muffle |
| 5 | Old French | moufle | mitten |
| 6 | Medieval Latin | muffula | a muff; muff |
| 7 | Frankish | molfell | soft garment made of hide |
| 8 | Middle High German | mol | — |
| 9 | Old High German | mol | — |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | mulô | muzzle |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | molh₂-o- | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |
via English head
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |