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Webster 1913 Edition

Deaf

Deaf

(dĕf or dēf; 277)
,
Adj.
[OE.
def
,
deaf
,
deef
, AS.
deáf
; akin to D.
doof
, G.
taub
, Icel.
daufr
, Dan.
döv
, Sw.
döf
, Goth.
daubs
, and prob. to E.
dumb
(the original sense being, dull as applied to one of the senses), and perh. to Gr.
τυφλόσ
(for
θυφλός
) blind,
τῦφοσ
smoke, vapor, folly, and to G.
toben
to rage. Cf.
Dum
b.]
1.
Wanting the sense of hearing, either wholly or in part; unable to perceive sounds; hard of hearing;
as, a
deaf
man
.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is
deaf
.
Shakespeare
2.
Unwilling to hear or listen; determinedly inattentive; regardless; not to be persuaded as to facts, argument, or exhortation; – with to;
as,
deaf
to reason
.
O, that men’s ears should be
To counsel
deaf
, but not to flattery!
Shakespeare
3.
Deprived of the power of hearing; deafened.
Deaf
with the noise, I took my hasty flight.
Dryden.
4.
Obscurely heard; stifled; deadened.
[R.]
A
deaf
murmur through the squadron went.
Dryden.
5.
Decayed; tasteless; dead;
as, a
deaf
nut;
deaf
corn.
[Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
If the season be unkindly and intemperate, they [peppers] will catch a blast; and then the seeds will be
deaf
, void, light, and naught.
Holland.

Deaf

(?; 277)
,
Verb.
T.
To deafen.
[Obs.]
Dryden.

Webster 1828 Edition

Deaf

DEAF

,
Noun.
deef.

Definition 2024

Deaf

Deaf

See also: deaf

English

Adjective

Deaf ‎(not comparable)

  1. Of or relating to the culture surrounding deaf users of sign languages.
    • 2005, Patricia Elizabeth Spencer and Marc Marschark, Advances in the Spoken Language Development of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195179870, page 3,
      Today, sign languages are the means of communication and interaction in Deaf communities around the world and have been shown to contain all the linguistic complexities and potentials of spoken languages (Stokoe, 1960/2005).
    • 2006, David Alan Stewart and Elizabeth Stewart, American Sign Language the Easy Way, Barron's Educational Series, ISBN 0764134280, page 101,
      There are Deaf clubs in many cities, but the clubs are just a part of the larger community of Deaf people.

Translations

Anagrams

deaf

deaf

See also: Deaf

English

Adjective

deaf ‎(comparative deafer, superlative deafest)

  1. Unable to hear, or only partially able to hear.
    • Shakespeare
      Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf.
    • Dryden
      Deaf with the noise, I took my hasty flight.
  2. Unwilling to listen or be persuaded; determinedly inattentive; regardless.
    Those people are deaf to reason.
    • Shakespeare
      O, that men's ears should be / To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!
  3. Obscurely heard; stifled; deadened.
    • Dryden
      A deaf murmur through the squadron went.
  4. (obsolete, Britain, dialect) Decayed; tasteless; dead.
    a deaf nut; deaf corn
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)
    • Holland
      If the season be unkindly and intemperate, they [peppers] will catch a blast; and then the seeds will be deaf, void, light, and naught.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Noun

deaf ‎(plural deafs)

  1. A deaf person.

deaf pl ‎(plural only)

  1. (with "the") Those who are deaf, taken as a group.

Translations

Derived terms

Verb

deaf ‎(third-person singular simple present deafs, present participle deafing, simple past and past participle deafed)

  1. (obsolete, transitive) To deafen.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)

See also

Anagrams

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *daubaz, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- ‎(“smoky, foggy, dim”). Germanic cognates include Old Frisian dāf, Old Saxon dōf (Low German dow), Old High German toub (German taub), Old Norse daufr (Swedish döv). The Indo-European root is also the source of Greek τυφλός ‎(tyflós, “blind”).

Pronunciation

Adjective

dēaf

  1. deaf

Declension

Etymology

From deaf.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /dɛf/
  • Rhymes: -ɛf
  • Homophones: deaf, def

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