mutism
[ myoo-tiz-uhm ]
/ ˈmyu tɪz əm /
Save This Word!
noun Psychiatry.
an inability to speak, due to a physical defect, conscious refusal, or psychogenic inhibition.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!
Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!
Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT 
Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Words nearby mutism
mutilating keratoderma, mutilation, mutineer, mutinous, mutiny, mutism, muton, Mutsuhito, mutt, Mutt and Jeff, mutter
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for mutism
British Dictionary definitions for mutism
mutism
/ (ˈmjuːtɪzəm) /
noun
the state of being mute
psychiatry
- a refusal to speak although the mechanism of speech is not damaged
- the lack of development of speech, due usually to early deafness
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
Medical definitions for mutism
mutism
[ myōō′tĭz′əm ]
n.
Absence of the faculty of speech.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.