baffle

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbæfl̩/
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• General-American: /ˈbæf(ə)l/
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• General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -æfəl
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• CMU ARPABET: B AE1 F AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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”)

The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly from Scots bauchle (“to annoy; to cause harm or trouble to; to disgrace; to jilt; to treat with contempt”), from bauchle (“useless or worn-out person or thing; clumsy work, bungle; clumsy or untidy person; contemptible person; laughing stock”); further etymology uncertain, possibly related to bauch (“feeble, sorry; backward, foolish”, adjective), possibly related to Old Norse bagr (“awkward, clumsy”), bāgr (“hard up, poor; uneasy”) The noun is derived from the verb.

87 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: отразителна преграда (otrazitelna pregrada) — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Catalan: bafle — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Czech: usměrňovač — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Czech: deflektor — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Dutch: schot — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Finnish: vaimennin — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• German: Abweiser — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• German: Leitblech — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• German: Luftleitblech — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• German: Prallblech — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• German: Schwallblech — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• German: Schallwand — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• German: Spritzblech — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• German: Strombrecher — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• German: Stromstörer — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• German: Tauchwand — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• German: Umlenkblech — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Irish: sciath — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Irish: sciathchlár — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Portuguese: deflector — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Portuguese: chicana — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Romanian: șicană — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Russian: дефле́ктор (defléktor) — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Russian: перегоро́дка (peregoródka) — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Spanish: bafle — device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid
• Finnish: kaasuvipu — lever for operating the throttle valve of a winding engine
• Finnish: hämmennys — instance of bewilderment or confusion
• Finnish: este — barrier designed to confuse enemies or make them vulnerable
• Bulgarian: обърквам (obǎrkvam) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Bulgarian: разстройвам (razstrojvam) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Chinese Mandarin: 迷惑 (míhuò) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Chinese Mandarin: 使困惑 — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Czech: vyvést z míry — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Czech: nejít na rozum — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Czech: být záhadou — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Dutch: verbluffen — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Finnish: hämätä — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Finnish: hämmentää — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Finnish: olla ihmeissään — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Finnish: olla sekaisin — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Finnish: olla ymmällään — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• French: déconcerter — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• French: dérouter — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• German: aus der Fassung bringen — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• German: ratlos machen — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• German: überraschen — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• German: verblüffen — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• German: verdutzen — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• German: verwirren — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Greek: μπερδεύω (berdévo) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Greek: σαστίζω (sastízo) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Ido: surprizegar — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Italian: sconcertare — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Japanese: 間誤付かせる (magotsukaseru) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Macedonian: збуни (zbuni) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Māori: whakapōhēhē — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Māori: whakapōkaikaha — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Māori: whakapōkīkī — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Māori: whakahanepī — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Māori: whakatekateka — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Norwegian: forvirre — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Norwegian: skvalpeskott — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Occitan: confondre — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Occitan: desconcertar — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Persian: گیج کردن (gij kardan) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Polish: wprawiać w zakłopotanie — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Portuguese: desconcertar — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Russian: озада́чивать (ozadáčivatʹ) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Russian: озада́чить (ozadáčitʹ) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Russian: сбива́ть с то́лку (sbivátʹ s tólku) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Russian: сбить с то́лку (sbitʹ s tólku) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Slovak: zblbnúť — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Slovak: zmagoriť — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Spanish: aturdir — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Spanish: embarullar — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Spanish: enchibolar — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Spanish: dejar patidifuso — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Spanish: dejar turulato — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Spanish: dejar tirulato — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Spanish: dejar tuturuto — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Spanish: dejar patitieso — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Swedish: förbrylla — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Swedish: förvirra — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Swedish: gäcka — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Ukrainian: спантеличувати (spantelyčuvaty) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Ukrainian: збивати (zbyvaty) — to confuse or perplex (someone) completely — see also bewilder, confuse, perplex, disconcert
• Finnish: kamppailla turhaan — to expend effort or struggle in vain