mutism
/ˈmjuːtɪz(ə)m
/noun [mass noun]
1Inability to speak, typically as a result of congenital deafness or brain damage.Damage can occur to the basal ganglia or to the frontal lobes (behind the brow) which control initiation of speech, causing mutism when damaged.
1.1 (in full elective mutism) Unwillingness or refusal to speak, arising from psychological causes such as depression or trauma.A 14-year-old boy with a pre-existing history of autism exhibited stupor with mutism, akinesia, rigidity, waxy flexibility, posturing, facial grimacing and involuntary movements of the upper extremities....
- Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder that is usually specific to certain settings, such as a school classroom.
- Others suffered from psychoneurotic symptoms alone - mutism, loss of speech, hysterical twitching, and uncontrollable jerkings of arms and legs.
Origin
Early 19th century: from French mutisme, from Latin mutus 'mute'.
- Newtonist
- newtonite
- Newton scale
- Newton's constant
- Newton's cradle
- Newton, Sir Isaac
- Newton's law of cooling
- Newton's laws of motion
- Newton's rings
- Newton's scale
- Newton Wonder
- Newton–Cotes
- Newton–Raphson
- new town
- new town blues
- new towner
- new-townish
- Newtown pippin
- Newtown Spitzenburg
- new-vamped
- new variant CJD
- new variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease
- new-washed
- new washed
- new wave