Fuddle

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈfʌdəl/

Definitions

1. To cause someone to become confused or muddled mentally ; a mental state of bewilderment or drunkenness that impairs clarity
2. To make a person unable to think clearly, often by alcohol or confusion ; a condition of being dazed or intoxicated leading to disorientation
3. To cloud or muddle the mind, resulting in unclear thinking ; an experience of mental fog or being tipsy that weakens judgment

Etymology: The verb sense of "fuddle" is to cloud someone's wits, either with drink or with plain confusion. Its background is murky, but two related words in other languages offer a clue. Dutch has "vod", meaning "soft", and German dialect has "fuddeln", meaning "to swindle". Both suggest a root idea of something being handled or pushed out of shape. Those links are suggestive rather than proven. What is clear is how the English sense works: a fuddled mind is one that has gone soft and blurred, so that clear thought no longer holds together.

Synonyms: confuse, bewilder, muddle, baffle