deaf

[def] adjective, deaf·er, deaf·est, noun
adjective
1.
partially or wholly lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing; unable to hear.
2.
refusing to listen, heed, or be persuaded; unreasonable or unyielding: deaf to all advice.
noun
3.
( used with a plural verb ) deaf persons collectively (usually preceded by the ).
Origin:
before 900; Middle English deef, Old English dēaf; cognate with Middle Low German dōf, Dutch doof, Old High German toub

Related forms
deaf·ly, adverb
deaf·ness, noun
half-deaf, adjective
non·deaf, adjective
non·deaf·ly, adverb
non·deaf·ness, noun
qua·si-deaf, adjective
qua·si-deaf·ly, adverb
sem·i·deaf, adjective
sem·i·deaf·ness, noun
un·deaf, adjective

Pronunciation note
Deaf is usually pronounced [def] with the vowel of left. In uneducated speech the pronunciation [deef] to rhyme with leaf, is heard, though it is becoming less common.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
deaf (dɛf) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj
1.  a.  partially or totally unable to hear
 b.  See also tone-deaf (as collective noun; preceded by the): the deaf
2.  refusing to heed: deaf to the cries of the hungry
 
[Old English dēaf; related to Old Norse daufr]
 
 
'deafly
 
—adv
 
'deafness
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

deaf
O.E. deaf "deaf, dull, obtuse," specialized from P.Gmc. *daubaz, from PIE dheubh-, which was used to form words meaning "confusion, stupefaction, dizziness" (cf. Gk. typhlos "blind). The word was pronounced to rhyme with reef until 18c. Deaf-mute is from 1837, after Fr. sourd-muet. Deaf-mutes were sought
after in 18c.-19c. Britain as fortune-tellers. Deaf as an adder (O.E.) is from Psalms lviii.5.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

deaf (děf)
adj.

  1. Partially or completely lacking in the sense of hearing.

  2. Deaf Of or relating to the Deaf or their culture.

n.

  1. Deaf people considered as a group.

  2. Deaf The community of deaf people who use American Sign language as a primary means of communication.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

deaf

In addition to the idiom beginning with deaf, also see fall on deaf ears; stone deaf; turn a deaf ear.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
But it's not strictly necessary: deaf people manage to cross streets without
  benefit of hearing the traffic.
The author, stone deaf and deep in the throes of an exhaust-note-inspired
  freak-out.
Yet attempts to encourage originality have been tone-deaf.
It is then that they realize how deaf people must feel when they are among
  those who hear.
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