n.
Pronunciation: ' myüt
Function: adjective
Inflected Form: 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