deaf-mute
[def-myoot]Offensive.
- unable to hear and speak.
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- a person who is unable to hear and speak, especially one in whom inability to speak is due to congenital or early deafness.
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Origin of deaf-mute
1830–40; translation of French sourd-muet
Usage note
See dumb.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
deaf-mute
- a person who is unable to hear or speakSee also mute 1 (def. 7), mutism (def. 2b)
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- unable to hear or speak
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Word Origin
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Using this word to refer to people without speech is considered outdated and offensive, and should be avoided.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
(dĕf′myōō′tĭz′əm)- Inability to hear and speak. No longer in technical use.
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deaf-mute
(dĕf′myōōt′)- A person who can neither hear nor speak. No longer in technical use.
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- Unable to speak or hear.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.