muffle

 
Pronunciation: /ˈmʌf(ə)l/

verb

[with object]
  • 1wrap or cover for warmth: everyone was muffled up in coats and scarves
  • 2cover or wrap up (a source of sound) to reduce its loudness: (as adjective muffled) the soft beat of a muffled drum
  • make (a sound) quieter or less distinct: his voice was muffled figurative the trade unions fear their voice within the party is being muffled

noun

[usually as modifier]
  • a receptacle in a furnace or kiln in which things can be heated without contact with combustion products: a muffle furnace

Origin:

late Middle English (as a verb): perhaps a shortening of Old French enmoufler; the noun (mid 17th century) from Old French moufle 'thick glove'