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dumb

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key):/dʌm/
  • Rhymes:-ʌm
  • Audio(Canada):(file)

Etymology 1

FromMiddle Englishdumb(“silent, speechless, mute, ineffectual”),fromOld Englishdumb(“silent, speechless, mute, unable to speak”),fromProto-West Germanic*dumb,fromProto-Germanic*dumbaz(“dull, dumb”),fromProto-Indo-European*dʰewbʰ-(“to whisk, smoke, darken, obscure”).

The senses ofstupid,unintellectual,andpointless,which are found regularly since the 19th century only, probably developed under the influence ofGermandummandDutchdom.Just like the English word, these originally meant "lacking the power of speech", but they developed the mentioned senses early on.

Cognates

Cognate withScotsdumb(“dumb, silent”),North Frisiandom,domme(“dumb, stupid”),West Frisiandom(“dumb, stupid”),Dutchdom(“dumb, stupid”),Germandumm(“dumb, stupid”),Danishdum(“stupid”),Swedishdum(“stupid”),Icelandicdumbur(“dumb, mute”).See alsodeaf.

Adjective

dumb(comparativedumber,superlativedumbest)

  1. (dated)Unable tospeak;lacking power ofspeech(kept in "deaf, dumb, and blind").
    Synonyms:mute,speechless,wordless
    His younger brother was borndumb,and communicated with sign language.
    • 1594–1597,Richard Hooker,edited byJ[ohn] S[penser],Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie,[…],London:[…]Will[iam]Stansby[for Matthew Lownes],published1611,→OCLC,(please specify the page):
      to unloose the very tongues even ofdumbcreatures
    • 1788,Mary Wollstonecraft, chapter 2, inOriginal Stories from Real Life(Children's literature), London: J. Johnson, published1796,pages10–11:
      The country people frequently ſay,—How can you treat a poordumbbeaſt ill; and a ſtreſs is very properly laid on the worddumb;fordumbthey appear to thoſe who do not obſerve their looks and geſtures; but God, who takes care of every thing, underſtands their language...
    • 1884January 5, “Mighty maiden with a mission”, inW. S. Gilbert(lyrics),Arthur Sullivan(music),Princess Ida‎[1],performed byD'Oyly Carte Opera Company,London,page48:
      We aredumband we would talk
    • 1992,“Opiate”, performed by Tool:
      Deaf and blind anddumband born to follow / What you need is someone strong to guide you
  2. (archaic)Nottalkative;taciturnorunwillingto speak.
  3. (dated)Having noinputorvoiceinrunningthings.
    • 1843April,Thomas Carlyle,“Democracy”, inPast and Present,American edition, Boston, Mass.:Charles C[offin] LittleandJames Brown,published1843,→OCLC,book III (The Modern Worker),page210:
      Life was never a May-game for men; in all times the lot of thedumb-millions born to toil was defaced with manifold sufferings, injustices, heavy burdens, avoidable and unavoidable; not play at all, but hard work that made the sinews sore, and the heart sore.
  4. (dated,of things, actions, etc.)Unaccompaniedby words or speech,silent,wordless.
    dumbshow
  5. (dated)Notproducinganysound,silent.
  6. (informal,derogatory,especially of a person)Stupid.
    Synonyms:feeble-minded,idiotic,moronic,stupid;see alsoThesaurus:stupid
    Antonyms:intelligent,smart
    You are sodumb!You don't even know how to make toast!
  7. (figuratively)Pointless,foolish,lackingintellectualcontent or value.
    Synonyms:banal,brainless,dopey,silly,stupid,ridiculous,vulgar
    This isdumb!We're driving in circles! We should have asked for directions an hour ago!
    Brendan had thedumbjob of moving boxes from one conveyor belt to another.
  8. Lacking somefunctionalityorpropertyordinarilycharacteristicof its kind.
  10. (oftechnology)Notequippedwithintelligentbehaviororprocessingcapabilitiesof its own.
    Antonym:smart
  11. (obsolete,rare)Lackingbrightnessorclearnessas acolour;dim,dull.
Derived terms
Suffixed forms
Comparisons
Others
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Etymology 2

FromMiddle Englishdumben,fromOld English*dumbian(found in the compoundādumbian(“to become mute or dumb; keep silence; hold one’s peace”)), fromProto-Germanic*dumbijaną,*dumbōną(“to be silent, become dumb”),fromProto-Indo-European*dʰewbʰ-(“to whisk, smoke, darken, obscure”).Cognate withGermanverdummen(“to become dumb”).

Verb

dumb(third-person singular simple presentdumbs,present participledumbing,simple past and past participledumbed)

  1. (transitive,dated)Tosilence.
  2. (transitive)To makestupid.
    • 2003,Angela Calabrese Barton,Teaching Science for Social Justice,page124:
      I think she'sdumbingus down, so we won't be smarter than her.
  3. (transitive)Torepresentas stupid.
    • 2004,Stephen Oppenheimer,The Real Eve: Modern Man's Journey Out of Africa,page107:
      Bad-mouthing Neanderthals[…]is symptomatic of a need to exclude and even demonize.[…]I suggest that the unprovendumbingof the Neanderthals is an example of the same cultural preconception.
  4. (transitive)Toreducetheintellectualdemands of.
    • 2002,Deborah Meier,In Schools We Trust: Creating Communities of Learning in an Era of Testing,page126:
      The ensuing storm caused the department to lower the bar—amid protests that this wasdumbingthe test down—so that only 80 percent of urban kids would fail.
Derived terms
Terms derived from the adjective or verb "dumb"

Etymology 3

Aminced oathofdamn.[1][2]

Adverb

dumb(notcomparable)

  2. (African-American Vernacular)Very,extremely.
    Synonyms:type,mad,hella,wicked,(NYC)odee,(MLE, MTE)bare
    • 2017,Don Winslow,The Force,London:HarperCollins Publishers,→ISBN,page134:
      "What, you don't like your food?" Russo asks. ¶ "Are you kidding? It'sdumbgood. "
    • 2019,Natisha Raynor,She Made a Savage Change His Ways 2,Atlanta, G.A.: Royalty Publishing House,→ISBN,page 4:
      Yo this shit is crazy how these females are making these doctors rich. My baby moms Miracle is getting surgery in a week or so. She's flying out to Colombia. That shit really baffles me as far as she's concerned, because Miracle is alreadydumbthick. I'm like damn ma, how big do you want your ass to be?
Derived terms

Adjective

dumb(comparativemoredumb,superlativemostdumb)

  1. (African-American Vernacular,dated)Anintensifierexpressingcontempt;damn,damned.
    • 2002,Glenna Whiteaker Wilding,Tales of a Ridgerunner: The Adventures of a Young Family Growing Up in the East Tennessee Mountains, 1890s - 1920s,Prospect, K.Y.: Harmony House Publishers,→ISBN,page95:
      Pap came to stand beside her and watched the two play. "That pup has just plum' fell in love with our Sammy, an' Sam's real took by him," Pap said. "It's adumbshame, too. I talked to Jim, but he's not of a mind to sell. "

References

  1. ^“dumadv.”,inGreen’s Dictionary of Slang,Jonathon Green,2016–present
  2. ^“dumadj.”,inGreen’s Dictionary of Slang,Jonathon Green,2016–present

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

FromOld Englishdumb.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key):/ˈdum(b)/,/ˈduːm(b)/

Adjective

dumb(plural and weak singulardumbe)

  1. Lacking orfailingto display the faculty ofvoice:
    1. Unspeaking;unable to speak or havingmuteness.
    2. (substantive)Amute;one who can't speak.
    3. Temporarily unable to speak due to strong emotions.
    4. Unwilling or reluctant to speak; notspeaking.
  2. Powerless,ineffectual(either inherently or due to events)
  3. Unknowledgeable;having no understanding orsense.
  4. (of animals)Unwilling or unable to make a noise;quietorsilent.
  5. (rare)Unrevealing,useless;having no important messages or lessons.
  6. (rare)Having nothing to keep one busy orengaged.
  7. (rare,figurative)Refusing topreachorevangelise.
  8. (rare,figurative)Refusing to beconceitedorvainglorious.

Derived terms

Descendants

  • English:dumb
  • Scots:dumb

References

Old English

Etymology

FromProto-West Germanic*dumb.

Pronunciation

Adjective

dumb

  1. mute,dumb(unable to speak)
    • late 10th century,Ælfric,Lives of Saints
      Fif and twentiġ manna myslīċe ġeuntrume cōmon tō þām hālgan heora hǣle biddende; sum wǣron blinde, sume wǣron healte, sume ēac dēafe, anddumbeēac sum and hī ealle wurdon ānes dæġes ġehǣlede þurh þæs hālgan þingunge and him hām ġewendon.
      Twenty-five men, sickened in various ways, came to the saint begging for the health; some were blind, some were lame, some were also deaf, and some weredumb,and they were all healed in one day through the intercession of the saint and went home.
  2. (substantive)amute
    • c. 990,Wessex Gospels,Luke 11:14
      Þā hē ūt ādrāf þā dēofolsēocnesse, þā spræc sedumba.
      When he drove out the demon, themute personspoke.

Declension

Declension ofdumb— Strong
Singular Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative dumb dumb dumb
Accusative dumbne dumbe dumb
Genitive dumbes dumbre dumbes
Dative dumbum dumbre dumbum
Instrumental dumbe dumbre dumbe
Plural Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative dumbe dumba,dumbe dumb
Accusative dumbe dumba,dumbe dumb
Genitive dumbra dumbra dumbra
Dative dumbum dumbum dumbum
Instrumental dumbum dumbum dumbum
Declension ofdumb— Weak
Singular Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative dumba dumbe dumbe
Accusative dumban dumban dumbe
Genitive dumban dumban dumban
Dative dumban dumban dumban
Instrumental dumban dumban dumban
Plural Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative dumban dumban dumban
Accusative dumban dumban dumban
Genitive dumbra,dumbena dumbra,dumbena dumbra,dumbena
Dative dumbum dumbum dumbum
Instrumental dumbum dumbum dumbum

Descendants

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