muffler

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a device in a vehicle's exhaust system that reduces engine noise; in British English, a silencer

   A hole in the car's muffler made the engine sound much louder.

2. 2
   noun

   a device that reduces unwanted mechanical or acoustic noise

   The technician fitted a muffler to reduce vibration noise from the machine.

3. 3
   noun

   an old-fashioned thick scarf worn around the neck for warmth

   He wrapped a woollen muffler around his neck before stepping into the snow.

From muffle + the agent suffix -er. Muffle entered Middle English with the sense "wrap or cover up" and is probably related to Old French moufle ("mitten"). Muffler consequently named something that wraps or deadens: first a warm neck covering, then devices that suppress sound, including the North American term for a vehicle's exhaust silencer.

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