I. ˈdef, archaic & dial -ē- adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English deef, from Old English dēaf; akin to Old High German toub deaf, stupid, Old Norse daufr deaf, Gothic daufs unreceptive to impressions, Greek typhlos blind, typhein to smoke, Latin fumus smoke — more at fume
1. : lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing either wholly or in part : unable to perceive sounds : having a sense of hearing that is inadequate for the purposes of daily living
2. : unwilling to hear or listen : determinedly inattentive
none so deaf as those that will not hear
: not to be persuaded as to facts, argument, or exhortation — used with to
deaf to reason
3.
a. obsolete , of a sound : muffled , stifled , deadened
mocks the dull ear of Time with deaf abortive sound — William Wordsworth
4. dialect Britain : incapable of bearing : having no fruit or kernel : sterile , infertile , barren
deaf eggs
deaf nutmegs
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English deffen, from deef, deff, adjective
archaic : deafen