I. ˈmyüt adjective
( mut·er ; mut·est )
Etymology: Middle English muet, mut, from Anglo-French, from mu, mute, from Latin mutus, probably from mu, representation of a muttered sound
Date: 1513
1. : unable to speak : lacking the power of speech
2. : characterized by absence of speech: as
a. : felt or experienced but not expressed
touched her hand in mute sympathy
b. : refusing to plead directly or stand trial
the prisoner stands mute
3. : remaining silent, undiscovered, or unrecognized
4.
a. : contributing nothing to the pronunciation of a word
the b in plumb is mute
b. : contributing to the pronunciation of a word but not representing the nucleus of a syllable
the e in mate is mute
• mute·ly adverb
• mute·ness noun
II. noun
Date: 1530
1. : stop 9
2. : a person who cannot or does not speak
3. : a device attached to or inserted into a musical instrument to soften or alter its tone
III. transitive verb
( mut·ed ; mut·ing )
Date: 1883
1. : to muffle, reduce, or eliminate the sound of
2. : to tone down : soften , subdue
mute a color
IV. intransitive verb
( mut·ed ; mut·ing )
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French * meutir , short for ameutir , alteration of Old French esmeltir, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch smelten to melt, make fluid, defecate (of birds)
Date: 15th century
of a bird : to evacuate the cloaca