Wiktionary

deafen

English

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Etymology

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deaf +‎ -en (verbal suffix), compare Middle English deven, deaven (“to make deaf”), Old English ādēafian (“to deafen”), Dutch verdoven (“to stupefy, deafen”), German betäuben (“to stun, stupefy, deafen”).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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deafen (third-person singular simple present deafens, present participle deafening, simple past and past participle deafened)

  1. (transitive) To make deaf, either temporarily or permanently.
  2. (transitive) To make soundproof.
    to deafen a wall or a floor
  3. (transitive, rare, dialectal, sometimes figurative) To stun, as with noise.
    • 1855, Macaulay
      Racine left the ground […] deafened, dazzled and tired to death.

Translations

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