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Numb - 7 dictionary results
numb
[nuhm] 
adjective -er, -est, verb –adjective
| 1. | deprived of physical sensation or the ability to move: fingers numb with cold. |
| 2. | manifesting or resembling numbness: a numb sensation. |
| 3. | incapable of action or of feeling emotion; enervated; prostrate: numb with grief. |
| 4. | lacking or deficient in emotion or feeling; indifferent: She was numb to their pleas for mercy. |
–verb (used with object)
| 5. | to make numb. |
Origin:
1400–50; late ME nome lit., taken, seized, var. of nomen, numen, OE numen, ptp. of niman to take, nim 1
1400–50; late ME nome lit., taken, seized, var. of nomen, numen, OE numen, ptp. of niman to take, nim 1
Related forms:
numbly, adverb
numbness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To Numb
| numb (nŭm) adj. numb·er, numb·est
To make or become numb. [Middle English nome, variant of nomin, past participle of nimen, to seize, from Old English niman; see nem- in Indo-European roots.] numb'ly adv., numb'ness n. Word History: Old English had a number of strong verbs (often loosely called "irregular" verbs) that did not survive into Modern English. One such was the verb niman, "to take," later replaced by take, a borrowing from Old Norse. The verb had a past tense nam and a past participle numen; if the verb had survived, it would likely have become nim, nam, num, like swim, swam, swum. Although we do not have the verb as such anymore, its past participle is alive and well, now spelled numb, literally "taken, seized," as by cold or grief. (The older spelling without the b is still seen in the compound numskull.) The verb also lives on indirectly in the word nimble, which used to mean "quick to take," and then later "light, quick on one's feet." |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Numb
Numb\, a. [OE. nume, nome, prop., seized, taken, p. p. of nimen to take, AS. niman, p. p. numen. [root]7. See Nimble, Nomad, and cf. Benumb.]1. Enfeebled in, or destitute of, the power of sensation and motion; rendered torpid; benumbed; insensible; as, the fingers or limbs are numb with cold. "A stony image, cold and numb." --Shak. 2. Producing numbness; benumbing; as, the numb, cold night. [Obs.] --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Numb
Spanish:
entumecido, insensible,
German:
taub,
Japanese:
しびれた
numb
1440, nome, lit. "taken, seized," from pp. of nimen "to take, seize," from O.E. niman "to take" (see nimble). The extraneous -b (to conform to comb, limb, etc.) appeared 17c. The notion is of being "taken" with palsy, shock, and especially cold. The verb is from 1602.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: numb
Pronunciation: 'n&m
Function: adjective
: devoid of sensation especially as a result of cold or anesthesia
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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numb (nŭm)
adj.
- Being unable or only partially able to feel sensation or pain; deadened or anesthetized.
- Being emotionally unresponsive; indifferent.
To make or become numb.
numb'ness n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
