| Deaf | a. [ OE. def, deaf, deef, AS. deáf; akin to D. doof, G. taub, Icel. daufr, Dan. döv, Sw. döf, Goth. daubs, and prob. to E. dumb (the original sense being, dull as applied to one of the senses), and perh. to Gr. tyflo`s (for qyflo`s) blind, ty^fos smoke, vapor, folly, and to G. toben to rage. Cf. Dumb. ] 1. Wanting the sense of hearing, either wholly or in part; unable to perceive sounds; hard of hearing; as, a deaf man. [ 1913 Webster ] Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. Unwilling to hear or listen; determinedly inattentive; regardless; not to be persuaded as to facts, argument, or exhortation; -- with to; as, deaf to reason. [ 1913 Webster ] O, that men's ears should be
To counsel deaf, but not to flattery! Shak. [ 1913 Webster ] 3. Deprived of the power of hearing; deafened. [ 1913 Webster ] Deaf with the noise, I took my hasty flight. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ] 4. Obscurely heard; stifled; deadened. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ] A deaf murmur through the squadron went. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ] 5. Decayed; tasteless; dead; as, a deaf nut; deaf corn. [ Obs. or Prov. Eng. ] Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ] If the season be unkindly and intemperate, they [ peppers ] will catch a blast; and then the seeds will be deaf, void, light, and naught. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ] |
| Deafen | v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Deafened p. pr. & vb. n. Deafening. ] [ From Deaf. ] 1. To make deaf; to deprive of the power of hearing; to render incapable of perceiving sounds distinctly. [ 1913 Webster ] Deafened and stunned with their promiscuous cries. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. (Arch.) To render impervious to sound, as a partition or floor, by filling the space within with mortar, by lining with paper, etc. [ 1913 Webster ] |
