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   Mute

   /myo͞ot/

   

   adjective

   • 1. refraining from speech or temporarily speechless: "Irene, the talkative one, was now mute" Similar silentspeechlessdumbunspeakingwordlessvoicelesstongue-tiedat a loss for wordstight-lippedclose-mouthedtaciturnuncommunicativeinformal:mumarchaic:mumchanceOpposite volubletalkative
   • ▪ not expressed in speech: "she gazed at him in mute appeal" Similar wordlesssilentdumbtacitunspokeninarticulateunvoicedunsaidunexpressedunutteredOpposite spoken
   • ▪ characterized by an absence of sound; quiet: "the great church was mute and dark" Similar quietsilentnoiselesssoundlesshushedOpposite noisy
   • 2. (of a person) lacking the faculty of speech. dated, offensive Similar unable to speakdated, offensive:dumbtechnical:aphasicaphonic
   • 3. (of a letter) not pronounced: "mute e is generally dropped before suffixes beginning with a vowel"

   noun

   • 1. a device on a television, telephone, or other appliance that temporarily turns off the sound.
   • 2. a clamp placed over the bridge of a stringed instrument to deaden the resonance without affecting the vibration of the strings.
   • ▪ a pad or cone placed in the opening of a brass or other wind instrument to soften the sound.
   • 3. a person lacking the faculty of speech. dated, offensive
   • ▪ (in some Asian countries) a servant who was deprived of the power of speech. historical
   • ▪ an actor in a dumbshow. historical
   • ▪ a professional attendant or mourner at a funeral: historical "an undertaker's mute"

   verb

   • 1. deaden, muffle, or soften the sound of: "her footsteps were muted by the thick carpet" Similar deadenmufflemaskdulldampendamp downsoftensilencestiflesmothersuppresslowerreducediminishdecreasequietenquietOpposite amplify
   • ▪ muffle the sound of (a musical instrument), especially by the use of a mute: "when muted and blown hard the trombone produces a very nasal and metallic sound"
   • ▪ reduce the strength or intensity of: "his professional contentment was muted by personal sadness" Similar restrainsoftensubduetone downmake less intensemoderatetempersoft-pedalOpposite intensify
   • 2. turn off (a microphone or the audio on an electronic device), especially temporarily: "this mode will mute the ringtone and message notification sounds"
   • ▪ (especially on social media) turn off (notifications, especially from a particular user or group or about a post, update, etc.): "it's simple to mute notifications you don't want to see"

   Word Origin Middle English: from Old French muet, diminutive of mu, from Latin mutus.

   Derivatives

   • 1. mutely adverb
   • 2. muteness noun

   Scrabble Points: 6

   • M

     3

   • U

     1

   • T

     1

   • E

     1

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