[mute] adj mut.er ; mut.est [alter. of ME muet, fr. MF, fr. OF mu, fr. L mutus, prob. fr. mu, representation of a muttered sound] (1513) 1: unable to speak: dumb
2: characterized by absence of speech: as a: felt or experienced but not expressed "touched her hand in ~ sympathy" b: refusing to plead directly or stand trial "the prisoner stands ~"
3: remaining silent, undiscovered, or unrecognized
4. a: contributing nothing to the pronunciation of a word "the b in plumb is ~" b: contributing to the pronunciation of a word but not representing the nucleus of a syllable "the e in mate is ~" -- mute.ly adv -- mute.ness n
[2]mute n (1530) 1: stop 9
2: a person who cannot or does not speak
3: a device attached to a musical instrument to reduce, soften, or muffle its tone [3]mute vt mut.ed ; mut.ing (1883) 1: to muffle, reduce, or eliminate the sound of
2: to tone down: soften, subdue "~ a color" [4]mute vi mut.ed ; mut.ing [ME, fr. MF meutir, short for esmeutir, fr. OF esmeltir, of Gmc origin; akin to MD smelten to melt, defecate (used of birds)] (15c) of a bird: to evacuate the cloaca