deafen

deaf·en

/ˈdɛfən/ Show Spelled [def-uhn] Show IPA

verb (used with object)

1.

to make deaf: The accident deafened him for life.

2.

to stun or overwhelm with noise: The pounding of the machines deafened us.

3.

deaden (  def 3 ) .

4.

Obsolete . to render (a sound) inaudible, especially by a louder sound.

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Origin:
1590–1600; deaf + -en¹

Related forms

deaf·en·ing·ly, adverb

half-deaf·ened, adjective

non·deaf·ened, adjective

 

Word Origin & History

deafen

1590s, "to make deaf," from deaf. The earlier verb was simply deaf (mid-15c.). For "to become deaf, to grow deaf," O.E. had adeafian (intrans.), which survived into M.E. as deave but then took on a transitive sense from mid-14c. and sank from use except in dialects