v.
- totally bewilder.
- restrain or regulate (a fluid, a sound, etc.).
n.
a device used to restrain the flow of a fluid, gas, or loose material or to prevent the spreading of sound or light in a particular direction.
Derivative
- bafflement n.
- baffler n.
- baffling adj.
- bafflingly adv.
Etymology
C16 (in the sense ‘cheat, deceive’): perh. rel. to Fr. bafouer ‘ridicule’ or obs. Fr. beffer ‘mock, deceive’.