deaf

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See also: Deaf

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English deef, from Old English dēaf, from Proto-West Germanic *daub, from Proto-Germanic *daubaz, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (“to whisk, smoke, darken, obscure”). Cognate with Ancient Greek τυφλός (tuphlós, “blind”). See also dumb. Doublet of daff, dof, and dowf.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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deaf (comparative deafer, superlative deafest)

  1. Unable to hear, or only partially able to hear.
    My brother has been deaf since sustaining injuries in the war.
    It's important for TV shows to provide closed captioning for the deaf.
  2. Unwilling to listen or be persuaded; determinedly inattentive; regardless.
    Those people are deaf to reason.
    • c. 1605–1608, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
      O, that men's ears should be / To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!
    • 1769, Firishta, translated by Alexander Dow, Tales translated from the Persian of Inatulla of Delhi, volume I, Dublin: P. and W. Wilson et al., page 12:
      The curioſity of the lady was highly inflamed, to know the hiſtory of the parrot's tranſmigration, which ſhe intreated the bird with all her eloquence to relate; but he preſented a deaf ear to her importunity, and, like a painted nightingale, remained ſilent.
  3. Of or relating to the community of deaf people.
    • 1994, Bruce N. Snider, Carol Erting, Robert C. Johnson, The Deaf Way, page 734:
      The best place to fight Hollywood deafism is in our deaf schools. If we give our children understanding and appreciation of our rich culture and sign language, the students will gain a deaf heritage and become more creative, more aware, and more assertive global deaf citizens.
  4. (obsolete) Obscurely heard; stifled; deadened.
  5. (obsolete, UK, dialect) Decayed; tasteless; dead.
    a deaf nut; deaf corn

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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Noun

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deaf (plural deafs)

  1. (nonstandard, rare) A deaf person.
    • 1897, József Jekelfalussy, The Millennium of Hungary and Its People‎[1], page 347:
      Among the second group of philanthropic educational institutions the institutes for the deafs and dumbs must be mentioned.
    • 1980, Cao Van Vien, Van Khuyen Dong, Reflections on the Vietnam War‎[2]:
      Negotiations for South Vietnam's political future and the enforcement of cease-fire between two sides progressed like a conversation between two deafs.
    • 2014, Chelsea Handler, My Horizontal Life‎[3], →ISBN:
      "I work with the blind mostly. Some deafs too," I told her.
    • 2015, Judith Richards, The Sounds of Silence‎[4], →ISBN:
      Two deafs did not always make deaf babies.

Usage notes

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Used primarily within the deaf community.

Translations

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Verb

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deaf (third-person singular simple present deafs, present participle deafing, simple past and past participle deafed)

  1. (obsolete, transitive) To deafen.
    • 1634, John Fletcher, William Shakespeare, Two Noble Kinsmen:
      It is enough, my hearing shall be punish'd With what shall happen, -- 'gainst the which there is No deafing -- but to hear, not taint mine eye With dread sights that it may shun.
    • 1681, John Dryden, “Canace to Macareus”, in Ovid, Ovid’s Epistles, […], 2nd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC, page 13:
      Swift as a Whirl-wind to the Nurſe he flies; / And deafs his ſtormy Subjects with his cries.
    • 1871, Charlse Hindlley, A Kicksey Winsey: Or a Lerry Come-Twang:
      Shall we, I say, that have been so long civil and wealthy in peace, famous and invincible in war, fortunate in both, we that have been ever able to aid any of our neighbours (but never deafed any of their ears with any of our supplications for assistance) shall we, I say, without blushing, abase ourselves so far, as to imitate these beastly Indians, slaves to the Spaniards, refuse to the world, and as yet aliens from the holy covenant of God?

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hall, Joseph Sargent (1942 March 2) “1. The Vowel Sounds of Stressed Syllables”, in The Phonetics of Great Smoky Mountain Speech (American Speech: Reprints and Monographs; 4), New York: King's Crown Press, →DOI, →ISBN, § 4, page 21.

Anagrams

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Old English

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Etymology

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From Proto-West Germanic *daub.

Germanic cognates include Old Frisian dāf, Old Saxon dōf (Low German dow), Old High German toub (German taub), Old Norse daufr (Swedish döv). The Indo-European root is also the source of Greek τυφλός (tyflós, “blind”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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dēaf

  1. deaf
    • late 10th century, Ælfric, Lives of Saints
      Fif and twentiġ manna myslīċe ġeuntrume cōmon tō þām hālgan heora hǣle biddende; sum wǣron blinde, sume wǣron healte, sume ēac dēafe, and dumbe ēac sum and hī ealle wurdon ānes dæġes ġehǣlede þurh þæs hālgan þingunge and him hām ġewendon.
      Twenty-five men, sickened in various ways, came to the saint begging for the health; some were blind, some were lame, some were also deaf, and some were dumb, and they were all healed in one day through the intercession of the saint and went home.

Declension

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Declension of dēaf — Strong
Singular Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative dēaf dēaf dēaf
Accusative dēafne dēafe dēaf
Genitive dēafes dēafre dēafes
Dative dēafum dēafre dēafum
Instrumental dēafe dēafre dēafe
Plural Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative dēafe dēafa, dēafe dēaf
Accusative dēafe dēafa, dēafe dēaf
Genitive dēafra dēafra dēafra
Dative dēafum dēafum dēafum
Instrumental dēafum dēafum dēafum
Declension of dēaf — Weak
Singular Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative dēafa dēafe dēafe
Accusative dēafan dēafan dēafe
Genitive dēafan dēafan dēafan
Dative dēafan dēafan dēafan
Instrumental dēafan dēafan dēafan
Plural Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative dēafan dēafan dēafan
Accusative dēafan dēafan dēafan
Genitive dēafra, dēafena dēafra, dēafena dēafra, dēafena
Dative dēafum dēafum dēafum
Instrumental dēafum dēafum dēafum

Descendants

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  • Middle English: deef, def
    • English: deaf
    • Scots: deef, deif, deaf
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