Deaf
/dɛf/noun
Unable to hear, either partially or completely.
Did you know?English **deaf** comes from a Proto-Germanic word that likely meant “dull, blunt, or insensitive,” showing how hearing loss was once linked to the broader idea of being physically numbed or blunted.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheubh-
“to be deep, obscure, or to make dull/numb”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*daubaz
“dull, blunt, insensitive”
Old English
OE
dēaf
“deaf, unable to hear”
Middle English
ME
deef / deaf
“deaf, hard of hearing”
Modern English
English
deaf
“unable to hear”