DEAF


Meaning of DEAF in English

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

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.