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muddle

/ˈmʌdl̩/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about muddle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A confused multitude of things.
  2. Informal terms for a difficult situation.
    he got into a terrible fix

verb

  1. Make into a puddle.
    puddled mire
  2. Mix up or confuse.
    He muddled the issues

Origin

From Middle English modelen (attested in present participle modeland (“wallowing”)), from Middle Dutch moddelen (“to make muddy”), from modde, mod (“mud”) (Modern Dutch modder). By surface analysis, mud + -le. Compare German Kuddelmuddel.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)