deaf

[def] /dɛf/

adjective, deafer, deafest.

partially or wholly lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing; unable to hear.

refusing to listen, heed, or be persuaded; unreasonable or unyielding:

deaf to all advice.

(initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the Deaf or their cultural community:

Deaf customs and values.

noun, (used with a plural verb)

deaf persons collectively (usually preceded by the):

social services for the deaf.

(initial capital letter) deaf persons who identify themselves as members of a community composed of deaf persons and others who share in their culture (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

Related forms

deafly, adverb

deafness, noun

half-deaf, adjective

nondeaf, adjective

nondeafly, adverb

nondeafness, noun

quasi-deaf, adjective

quasi-deafly, adverb

semideaf, adjective

semideafness, noun

undeaf, adjective

Usage note

See dumb.

Pronunciation note

Deaf is usually pronounced

[def] /dɛf/ (Show IPA) with the vowel of left. In uneducated speech the dialectal pronunciation

[deef] /dif/ to rhyme with leaf, is still heard occasionally, but it is increasingly rare.

Examples from the web for deaf

But it's not strictly necessary: deaf people manage to cross streets without benefit of hearing the traffic.
Auditorium lights could broadcast enhanced audio to the hearing disabled, or transcriptions to the deaf.
Closed captioning for deaf users was not properly supported.
Everyone pretends to be in favour of bipartisan dialogue, but it is a dialogue of the deaf.
Some deaf people have extraordinarily keen vision, and a new study of cats may explain why.
There is only one public school in the world where deaf children are taught to swim.
They will doubtless suggest the sign language of the deaf.
Explain that there is more than one of these languages for the deaf.
It is then that they realize how deaf people must feel when they are among those who hear.
The real problem is that medical community is blind and deaf to the frequency of falls and injuries.

British Dictionary definitions for deaf

deaf

/dɛf/

adjective

partially or totally unable to hear
(as collective noun; preceded by the): the deaf See also tone-deaf

refusing to heed: deaf to the cries of the hungry

Derived Forms

deafly, adverb
deafness, noun

elderly

Word Origin

Old English dēaf; related to Old Norse daufr

Word Origin and History for deaf

adj.

Old English deaf "deaf," also "empty, barren," specialized from Proto-Germanic *daubaz (cf. Old Saxon dof, Old Norse daufr, Old Frisian daf, Dutch doof "deaf," German taub, Gothic daufs "deaf, insensate"), from PIE dheubh-, which was used to form words meaning "confusion, stupefaction, dizziness" (cf. Greek typhlos "blind).

The word was pronounced to rhyme with reef until 18c. Deaf-mute is from 1837, after French sourd-muet. Deaf-mutes were sought after in 18c.-19c. Britain as fortune-tellers. Deaf as an adder (Old English) is from Psalms lviii:5.

deaf in Medicine

deaf (děf)
adj.

Partially or completely lacking in the sense of hearing.
Deaf Of or relating to the Deaf or their culture.

Deaf people considered as a group.
Deaf The community of deaf people who use American Sign Language as a primary means of communication.

Slang definitions & phrases for deaf

def

adjective

Excellent; wonderful; cool, rad: She is really def/ He's got a def girlfriend

[1983+ Black; origin uncertain; perhaps fr black English (Jamaican) pronunciation of death, where the semantics would resemble those of killer, murder, etc; certainly interpreted by many as a shortening of definite]

Idioms and Phrases with deaf

deaf

In addition to the idiom beginning with

deaf

also see: