Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
MUFF
I. noun
Etymology: Dutch mof, from Middle French moufle mitten, from Medieval Latin muffula
Date: 1599
a warm tubular covering for the hands,
II. verb
Etymology: probably from 1muff
Date: 1846
transitive verb to handle awkwardly ; bungle , to fail to hold (a ball) when attempting a catch, intransitive verb to act or do something stupidly or clumsily, to muff a ball,
III. noun
Date: 1868
a bungling performance, a failure to hold a ball in attempting a catch