Baffler
/ˈbæf.lɚ/noun
Something or someone that baffles; a puzzling or confusing thing.
Did you know?The core verb *baffle* originally meant to disgrace or make a person look foolish, and only later shifted into the modern sense of mentally confusing someone.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
French
bafouer
“to mock, jeer at, or disgrace”
16th Century
English
baffle
“to disgrace, humiliate, or treat as a false traitor (earlier sense)”
17th Century
English
baffle
“to foil, thwart, or defeat”
18th Century
English
baffle
“to confuse or perplex mentally”
19th Century
English
baffler
“something that baffles; a puzzle or obstacle”