Definition

1. Noun:

   • A person who is both unable to hear and unable to speak. This term is often considered outdated and potentially offensive; "deaf-blind" or "person who is deaf and non-verbal" may be preferred in modern usage.

2. Adjective:

   • Describing a person who has both hearing and speech impairments, i.e., unable to hear and unable to speak.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The institution was originally founded to care for deaf mutes. (A facility for people who cannot hear or speak.)
  • He communicated with the deaf mute using sign language. (He used gestures to interact with someone who is both deaf and non-verbal.)

• Adjective:

  • The deaf mute child learned to read lips at an early age. (A child who cannot hear or speak acquired lip-reading skills.)
  • They developed a special alphabet for deaf mute individuals. (A communication system for people with both hearing and speech loss.)

Advanced Usage

• Historical context: The term "deaf mute" was common in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but it is now largely avoided in professional and respectful discourse because it implies a total lack of speech ability, which is inaccurate for many deaf individuals who may use sign language or vocalize.

  • The term "deaf mute" is rarely used in modern audiology. (It is considered outdated by hearing specialists.)

• Legal usage: In some older legal documents, "deaf mute" was used to describe a person's incapacity to hear or speak for guardianship purposes.

  • The court appointed a guardian for the deaf mute adult. (A legal representative was assigned due to communication barriers.)

Variants and Related Words

• Deaf-muteness (n): the condition of being both deaf and mute.

  • Deaf-muteness can result from congenital conditions or early illness. (The state of being unable to hear or speak from birth or disease.)

• Deaf-and-dumb (adj, dated): an older, more offensive synonym for "deaf mute."

  • The outdated term "deaf-and-dumb" is no longer acceptable in polite conversation. (It is considered derogatory.)

Synonyms

• Hearing-impaired and speech-impaired: a clinical, respectful description.

  • The student is both hearing-impaired and speech-impaired, requiring assistive technology. (A modern phrasing for the same condition.)

• Non-verbal deaf person: a precise term used in education and therapy.

  • She is a non-verbal deaf person who uses a communication device. (A person who is deaf and does not use spoken language.)

Related Idioms

• "Deaf as a post, mute as a fish": an informal, humorous idiom describing someone who is completely unable to hear or speak.

  • After the accident, he was deaf as a post and mute as a fish. (He lost both hearing and speech abilities.)

• "Deaf and dumb" (dated): an older idiom meaning unable to hear or speak, now considered offensive.

  • The old film used the phrase "deaf and dumb" without sensitivity. (The phrase is now seen as disrespectful.)