Dictionary

deafen en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈdɛfən/

Etymology

From deaf + -en (verbal suffix). Compare Middle English deven, deaven (“to make deaf”), Old English ādēafian (“to deafen”) and Old English ādȳfan, Dutch verdoven (“to stupefy, deafen”), German betäuben (“to stun, stupefy, deafen”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make deaf, either temporarily or permanently.
   • The head injury deafened her for life.
2. (transitive) To make soundproof.
   • to deafen a wall or a floor
3. (dialectal, figuratively, rare, sometimes, transitive) To stun, as with noise.
   • Racine left the ground […] deafened, dazzled and tired to death. 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

deafener · bedeafen · undeafen · undeafened

Translations (44)

nl geluiddicht maken (to make soundproof) · uk оглуши́ти (to make deaf) · ro asurzi (to make deaf) · bg оглуша́ (to make deaf) · bg оглуша́вам (to make deaf) · uk оглу́шувати (to make deaf) · pl ogłuszyć (to make deaf) · nl doof maken (to make deaf) · es ensordecer (to make deaf) · ko 귀를 먹먹하게 하다 (to make deaf) · ru глуши́ть (to make deaf) · bg заглуша́ (to make soundproof) · nl verdoven (to make deaf) · ca ensordir (to make deaf) · id menulikan (to make deaf) · ru оглуша́ть (to make deaf) · de taub machen (to make deaf) · el κουφαίνω (to make deaf) · ru заглуши́ть (to make soundproof) · be аглу́шваць (to make deaf) · br bouzarañ (to make deaf) · bg пра́вя звуконепроница́ем (to make soundproof) · ru приглуши́ть (to make soundproof) · ga bodhraigh (to make deaf) · ja 聾する (to make deaf) · fr rendre sourd (to make deaf) · gl enxordar (to make deaf) · pt ensurdecer (to make deaf) · mk оглуви (to make deaf) · pl ogłuszać (to make deaf) · hy խլացնել (to make deaf) · ru оглуши́ть (to make deaf) · fi äänieristää (to make soundproof) · fi kuurouttaa (to make deaf) · gl axordar (to make deaf) · rup asurdzãscu (to make deaf) · fr assourdir (to make deaf) · hu megsüketít (to make deaf) · bg заглуша́вам (to make soundproof) · be аглушы́ць (to make deaf) · be глушы́ць (to make deaf) · ar أَصَمَّ (to make deaf) · uk оглуша́ти (to make deaf) · uk глуши́ти (to make deaf)