Baffle

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈbæflÌ©/
• US IPA: /ˈbæflÌ©/
• Rhymes: -æfÉ™l

Origin

Origin uncertain.

Full definition of baffle

Verb

1. (obsolete) To publicly disgrace, especially of a recreant knight. 16th-17th c.
• 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VI.7:He by the heeles him hung upon a tree,
  And baffuld so, that all which passed by
  The picture of his punishment might see ….
2. (obsolete) To hoodwink or deceive (someone). 16th-18th c.
3. To bewilder completely; to confuse or perplex. from 17th c.I am baffled by the contradictions and omissions in the instructions.
• Prescottcalculations so difficult as to have baffled, until within a ... recent period, the most enlightened nations
• John LockeThe mere intricacy of a question should not baffle us.
4. (now rare) To foil; to thwart. from 17th c.
• Cowperthe art that baffles time's tyrannic claim
• Southa suitable scripture ready to repel and baffle them all
5. (intransitive) To struggle in vain. from 19th c.A ship baffles with the winds.

Synonyms

Noun

1. A device used to dampen the effects of such things as sound, light, or fluid. Specifically, a baffle is a surface which is placed inside an open area to inhibit direct motion from one part to another, without preventing motion altogether.Tanker trucks use baffles to keep the liquids inside from sloshing around.
2. An architectural feature designed to confuse enemies or make them vulnerable.