mute

mute
[mju:t]
adjective
1》 (of a person) refraining from speech or temporarily speechless.
    ↘lacking the faculty of speech.
    ↘(of hounds) not giving tongue while hunting.
2》 (of a letter) not pronounced.
noun
1》 a person without the power of speech.
    ↘historical (in some Asian countries) a servant who was deprived of the power of speech.
2》 historical a professional attendant or mourner at a funeral.
3》 a clamp placed over the bridge of a stringed instrument to deaden the resonance without affecting the vibration of the strings.
4》 a pad or cone placed in the opening of a brass or other wind instrument.
verb
1》 deaden or muffle the sound of.
2》 reduce the strength or intensity of.
    ↘[as adjective muted] (of colour or lighting) not bright; subdued.
Derivatives
mutely adverb
muteness noun
Origin
ME: from OFr. muet, dimin. of mu, from L. mutus.
Usage
To describe a person without the power of speech as mute is today likely to cause offence. Nevertheless, there are no accepted alternative terms in general use, apart from the possibly imprecise term speech-impaired. See also usage at deaf mute.

English new terms dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу
Synonyms:
, , , / , , / ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • mute — mute …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • muté — muté …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • mute´ly — mute «myoot», adjective, noun, verb, mut|ed, mut|ing. –adj. 1. not making any sound; silent: »The little girl stood mute with embarrassment. Mute did the minstrels stand To hear my story (Longfellow). Mute was the room mute the house (Charlotte… …   Useful english dictionary

  • MUTE — Developer(s) Jason Rohrer Discontinued 0.5.1 / April 23, 2007 (unmaintained) Operating system Cross platform Type File sharing, An …   Wikipedia

  • Mute — Mute, a. [L. mutus; cf. Gr. my ein to shut, Skr. m[=u]ta bound, m[=u]ka dumb: cf. OE. muet, fr. F. muet, a dim. of OF. mu, L. mutus.] 1. Not speaking; uttering no sound; silent. [1913 Webster] All the heavenly choir stood mute, And silence was in …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mute — may refer to: Muteness, a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak Mute, a silent letter in phonology Mute (film), an upcoming sequel to the movie Moon Mute (death customs) a professional mourner in Victorian and other… …   Wikipedia

  • MUTE — Logo Basisdaten Entwickler Jason Rohrer Aktuelle Version 0.5.1b (27. Mai 2009) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • mute — [myo͞ot] adj. [ME mewet < OFr muet < mu < L mutus, silent: for IE base see MOPE] 1. not speaking; voluntarily silent: often used figuratively 2. unable to speak 3. not spoken [a mute appeal] 4. SILENT (adj …   English World dictionary

  • MUTE — puede referirse a: MUTE (Informática): una red de intercambio de datos. Mute (gastronomía): sopa de maiz, en Colombia y Venezuela. Mute Records: sello discográfico. Mute Math: banda de rock alternativo. Esta página de desambiguación cataloga… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mute — bezeichnet: eine Tauschbörsensoftware, siehe MUTE ein Independent Label, siehe Mute Records bei elektronischen Geräten die Stummschaltung ein Elektroautomobilprojekt der Technischen Universität München, siehe MUTE (Elektroauto) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mute — Mute, n. 1. One who does not speak, whether from physical inability, unwillingness, or other cause. Specifically: (a) One who, from deafness, either congenital or from early life, is unable to use articulate language; a deaf mute. (b) A person… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”