Befuddle
/bɪˈfʌd.əl/noun
To confuse or make someone unable to think clearly.
Did you know?Befuddle is a playful 16th–17th century formation from the older verb *fuddle* (“to make drunk or muddled”), so the word originally carried the vibe of intoxication before it meant mental confusion.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*fud- / *fudd-
“A base associated with shaking, puffing, or muddling; the deeper origin is uncertain.”
Middle English
English
fudlen / fuddle
“To confuse, stupefy, or make drunk.”
16th Century
English
be- + fuddle
“To thoroughly confuse or muddle, often in a drunken or dazed sense.”
17th Century
English
befuddle
“To make someone tipsy, dazed, or mentally blurred.”
Modern English
English
befuddle
“To perplex or confuse greatly.”