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definitions

deaf-mute

[def-myoot]Offensive.
adjective
  1. unable to hear and speak.
noun
  1. a person who is unable to hear and speak, especially one in whom inability to speak is due to congenital or early deafness.

Origin of deaf-mute

1830–40; translation of French sourd-muet
Related formsdeaf-mute·ness, deaf-mut·ism, noun

Usage note

See dumb.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for deafmutism

deaf-mute

noun
  1. a person who is unable to hear or speakSee also mute 1 (def. 7), mutism (def. 2b)
adjective
  1. unable to hear or speak
Derived Formsdeaf-muteness or deaf-mutism, noun

Word Origin for deaf-mute

C19: translation of French sourd-muet

usage

Using this word to refer to people without speech is considered outdated and offensive, and should be avoided. The phrase profoundly deaf is a suitable alternative in many contexts
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
deafmutism in Medicine

deafmutism

[dĕf′myōō′tĭz′əm]
n.
  1. Inability to hear and speak. No longer in technical use.

deaf-mute

[dĕf′myōōt′]
n.
  1. A person who can neither hear nor speak. No longer in technical use.
adj.
  1. Unable to speak or hear.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.