释义 |
deaf I. \ˈdef, archaic & dial -ē-\ adjective (-er/-est) Etymology: Middle English deef, from Old English dēaf; akin to Old High German toub deaf, stupid, Old Norse daufr deaf, Gothic daufs unreceptive to impressions, Greek typhlos blind, typhein to smoke, Latin fumus smoke — more at fume 1. : lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing either wholly or in part : unable to perceive sounds : having a sense of hearing that is inadequate for the purposes of daily living 2. : unwilling to hear or listen : determinedly inattentive < none so deaf as those that will not hear > : not to be persuaded as to facts, argument, or exhortation — used with to < deaf to reason > 3. a. obsolete, of a sound : muffled, stifled, deadened < mocks the dull ear of Time with deaf abortive sound — William Wordsworth > 4. dialect Britain : incapable of bearing : having no fruit or kernel : sterile, infertile, barren < deaf eggs > < deaf nutmegs > II. transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Middle English deffen, from deef, deff, adjective archaic : deafen |