mute

/mju:t/
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mute

The musician places a mute on the trumpet's bell.

Definition

  1. Adjective:

    • Unable to speak: Describes a person who cannot speak, often due to being deaf from birth.
    • Silent; not expressed in speech: Describes something expressed without words or sound.

  2. Noun:

    • A person who cannot speak: A person who is mute, typically deaf and unable to speak.
    • A device for softening sound: A device used on a musical instrument to muffle or soften its tone.

  3. Verb:

    • To muffle or soften sound: To deaden or reduce the volume or intensity of a sound.
Usage Examples
  • Adjective:
    • The child was born mute. (The child was born unable to speak.)
    • She gave him a mute look of gratitude. (She gave him a silent, wordless look of thanks.)
  • Noun:
    • The violinist attached a mute to the bridge. (The violinist attached a sound-softening device to the bridge.)
    • Historically, the term "mute" was used for a deaf person who did not speak.
  • Verb:
    • He muted the strings of his guitar with his palm. (He softened the sound of his guitar strings with his palm.)
    • The thick curtains helped to mute the noise from the street. (The thick curtains helped to deaden the street noise.)
Advanced Usage
  • Legal/Historical Context: The phrase "to stand mute" means to refuse to plead guilty or not guilty in a court of law.
    • The accused chose to stand mute before the court.
  • Linguistics: A "mute letter" is a silent letter in a word (e.g., the 'k' in 'knight' or the 'b' in 'dumb').
    • The 'e' at the end of 'hope' is often a mute letter.
Variants and Related Words
  • Mutely (adverb): In a silent manner.
    • She nodded mutely in agreement.
  • Muteness (noun): The condition of being mute.
    • His muteness was due to a traumatic event.
Synonyms
  • Adjective (silent): wordless, speechless, unspoken, tacit.
  • Verb (soften sound): muffle, dampen, deaden, soften, stifle.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Phrases
  • Mute out: To block or suppress a sound (less common).
    • The headphones are designed to mute out ambient noise.
Related Idioms
  • Deaf-mute: An outdated and now often considered offensive term for a person who is deaf and does not speak. The preferred modern terms are "deaf" or "profoundly deaf individual who does not use speech."
  • Mute as a fish: Completely silent (idiomatic).
    • When asked about the incident, he was mute as a fish.
mute

The musician places a mute on the trumpet's bell.

Adjective
  1. unable to speak because of hereditary deafness
  2. expressed without speech
    • a mute appeal
    • a silent curse
    • best grief is tongueless- Emily Dickinson
    • the words stopped at her lips unsounded
    • unspoken grief
    • choking exasperation and wordless shame- Thomas Wolfe
Noun
  1. a device used to soften the tone of a musical instrument
  2. a deaf person who is unable to speak
Verb
  1. deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping

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