deafest

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

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


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.
Cite This Source Link To deafest
00:10
Deafest is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
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
Cite This Source
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
Cite This Source
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.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT