muddle

What it means

1. To mix together, to mix up; to confuse.

   Young children tend to muddle their words.

   1 more example

   I will not , to please hostile critics , muddle the argument by making it one of recondite learning , in which neither I nor my readers are strong . I try to lay before the reader reasons from which he can judge for himself

   1847, Francis William Newman, A History of the Hebrew Monarchy

2. To mash slightly for use in a cocktail.

   He muddled the mint sprigs in the bottom of the glass.

3. To dabble in mud.

   c. 1721-1722, Jonathan Swift, The Progress of Marriage Young ducklings foster'd by a hen; But, when let out, they run and muddle

In a sentence

Young children tend to muddle their words.

Where it comes from

1. Middle Dutchmoddelen“to make muddy”
2. Middle Englishmodelen
3. Englishmuddle

From Middle English modelen (attested in present participle modeland (“wallowing”)), from Middle Dutch moddelen (“to make muddy”), from modde, mod (“mud”) (Modern Dutch modder). By surface analysis, mud + -le. Compare German Kuddelmuddel.