from
camoufler
(“to veil, disguise”), alteration (due to
camouflet
(“smoke blown in one's face”)) of Italian
camuffare
(“to muffle the head”), from
ca-
(from Italian
capo
(“head”)) +
muffare
(“to muffle”), from Medieval Latin
muffula, muffla
(“muff”).film, fleece”).
from which there is also English muffle, is either derived from a Frankish *molfell(“soft garment made of hide”) from *mol (“softened, forworn”) (akin to Old High German molawēn (“to soften”), Middle High German molwic (“soft”)) + *fell (“hide, skin”), from Proto-Germanic*fellą (“skin, film, fleece”), or, an alternate etymology traces it to a Frankish *muffël (“a muff, wrap, envelope”) composed of *mauwa (“sleeve, wrap”) from Proto-Germanic *mawwō (“sleeve”) + *fell (“skin, hide”) from Proto-Germanic *fellą (“skin, film, fleece”).
