mute (my t)adj. mut·er, mut·est 1. Refraining from producing speech or vocal sound. 2. a. Often Offensive Unable to speak. b. Unable to vocalize, as certain animals. 3. Expressed without speech; unspoken: a mute appeal. 4. Law Refusing to plead when under arraignment. 5. Linguistics a. Not pronounced; silent, as the e in the word house. b. Pronounced with a temporary stoppage of breath, as the sounds (p) and (b); plosive; stopped. n. 1. Often Offensive One who is incapable of speech. 2. Law A defendant who refuses to plead when under arraignment. 3. Music Any of various devices used to muffle or soften the tone of an instrument. 4. Linguistics a. A silent letter. b. A plosive; a stop. tr.v. mut·ed, mut·ing, mutes 1. To soften or muffle the sound of. 2. To soften the tone, color, shade, or hue of. [Middle English muet, from Old French, from diminutive of mu, from Latin m  tus.]mute  ly adv.mute ness n.Usage Note: In reference to people who are unable to speak, mute and deaf-mute are now often considered objectionable. The offense is due not only to the bluntness of these terms but also to the implication that a person who is incapable of oral speech is necessarily deprived of the use of language. In fact, many deaf people today communicate naturally and fully through the use of a sign language such as ASL, and no one who has witnessed such a conversation would ever think to call the participants mute. See Usage Note at deaf. |
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