BAFFLE


Meaning of BAFFLE in English

I. ˈbafəl transitive verb

( baffled ; baffled ; baffling -f(ə)liŋ ; baffles )

Etymology: probably alteration of Middle English (Scots dialect) bawchillen, bachlen to denounce or discredit publicly

1. obsolete

a. : to subject to a disgraceful punishment or to infamy

b. : to subject to any disgrace or contumely

c. : cheat , trick

d. : to reduce to ineffectiveness

2. : to defeat or check (as understanding, plans, efforts, actions) by confusing or puzzling : disconcert , perplex , frustrate

with postwar verse, the … untutored reader is apt to admit himself quite baffled — C.D.Lewis

the swiftness of his marches baffled alike flight and resistance — J.A.Froude

3. : to check or break the force of : deflect or stop the flow of

guard plates to baffle the steam

: interfere with the free or straight motion of : disperse the effective force of

the yawl was baffled by the changing winds

4. : to equip with a baffle

5. : to prevent (two or more sets of sound waves) from interfering with each other (as by introducing a partition between the front and back of a loudspeaker)

Synonyms: see frustrate

II. noun

( -s )

1. : bafflement , confusion , uncertainty

2. : something for deflecting, checking, or otherwise regulating flow: as

a. : a plate or wall for deflecting gases or other fluids (as in a steam-boiler flue, a reverberatory furnace, or a gasoline-engine muffler)

b. : a plate or grating in a channel or a pipe conveying fluid to check eddy currents and thus cause a uniform flow

c. : a device or structure (as a vane or partition) for preventing the passage of, deflecting, or regulating the intensity of light

d. : a device or structure for deadening, preventing the transmission of, or deflecting sound

3. : a partition or cabinet used with the diaphragm of a loudspeaker to impede the exchange of sound waves between front and back

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.