"dumbness" meaning in English

See dumbness in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: dumbnesses [plural]
Etymology: From Middle English dombenesse, from Old English dumbnes; equivalent to dumb + -ness. Cognate with Old Frisian dumbnisse (“folly, dumbness”). Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|dombenesse}} Middle English dombenesse, {{inh|en|ang|dumbnes}} Old English dumbnes, {{suf|en|dumb|ness}} dumb + -ness, {{cog|ofs|dumbnisse|t=folly, dumbness}} Old Frisian dumbnisse (“folly, dumbness”) Head templates: {{en-noun|-|+}} dumbness (usually uncountable, plural dumbnesses)
  1. (dated) The state of being mute: that is, of not communicating vocally, whether from selective mutism (refusal to speak) or from an inability to speak. Tags: dated, uncountable, usually Translations (the state of being mute): ܚܪܫܘܬܐ [Classical-Syriac] (Aramaic), tyhmyys (Finnish), სიმუნჯე (simunǯe) (Georgian), Stummheit [feminine] (German), Mutitas [feminine] [medicine, sciences] (German), bailbhe [feminine] (Irish), balbhántaíocht [feminine] (Irish), mutezza [feminine] (Italian), alogia [feminine] (Latin), dombenesse (Middle English), muțenie [feminine] (Romanian), немота́ (nemotá) [feminine] (Russian), dilsizlik (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-dumbness-en-noun-Npp0pNbq Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -ness, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Classical Syriac translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with Georgian translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Irish translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Latin translations, Terms with Middle English translations, Terms with Romanian translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Turkish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 54 10 23 13 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -ness: 51 12 18 19 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 72 7 14 7 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 60 6 25 9 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 65 5 24 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Classical Syriac translations: 74 4 14 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 62 9 13 15 Disambiguation of Terms with Georgian translations: 61 11 13 15 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 60 11 14 16 Disambiguation of Terms with Irish translations: 58 9 17 16 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 64 11 15 10 Disambiguation of Terms with Latin translations: 64 11 15 10 Disambiguation of Terms with Middle English translations: 53 13 16 18 Disambiguation of Terms with Romanian translations: 60 9 14 16 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 68 10 14 9 Disambiguation of Terms with Turkish translations: 61 9 16 14 Disambiguation of 'the state of being mute': 82 8 6 5
  2. (dated) Muteness, silence; abstention from speech. Tags: dated, uncountable, usually
    Sense id: en-dumbness-en-noun-Gfjk2pHM
  3. (dated) Show or gesture without words; pantomime; dumb-show. Tags: dated, uncountable, usually
    Sense id: en-dumbness-en-noun-RpTvmWWO
  4. (informal) The quality of being stupid or foolish. Tags: informal, uncountable, usually Translations (the quality of being stupid): тупость (tupostʹ) [feminine] (Russian), тупизна (tupizna) [feminine] (Russian)
    Sense id: en-dumbness-en-noun-TuIxNReR Disambiguation of 'the quality of being stupid': 2 1 1 97
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: dumbhood, dumbnesse [obsolete] Derived forms: artificial dumbness Related terms: dumb, dumb-show

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "artificial dumbness"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dombenesse"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dombenesse",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dumbnes"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dumbnes",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dumb",
        "3": "ness"
      },
      "expansion": "dumb + -ness",
      "name": "suf"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ofs",
        "2": "dumbnisse",
        "t": "folly, dumbness"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Frisian dumbnisse (“folly, dumbness”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English dombenesse, from Old English dumbnes; equivalent to dumb + -ness. Cognate with Old Frisian dumbnisse (“folly, dumbness”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dumbnesses",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-",
        "2": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "dumbness (usually uncountable, plural dumbnesses)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "dumb"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "dumb-show"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "54 10 23 13",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "51 12 18 19",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -ness",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "72 7 14 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "60 6 25 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "65 5 24 6",
          "kind": "other",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "74 4 14 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Classical Syriac translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "62 9 13 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "61 11 13 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Georgian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "60 11 14 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "58 9 17 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Irish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "64 11 15 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "64 11 15 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Latin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "53 13 16 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Middle English translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "60 9 14 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "68 10 14 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "61 9 16 14",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Turkish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1944, Emily Carr, “Sissy's Job”, in The House of All Sorts:",
          "text": "He was a deaf-mute. His dumbness did not seem to matter when we were boys.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The state of being mute: that is, of not communicating vocally, whether from selective mutism (refusal to speak) or from an inability to speak."
      ],
      "id": "en-dumbness-en-noun-Npp0pNbq",
      "links": [
        [
          "mute",
          "mute"
        ],
        [
          "selective mutism",
          "selective mutism"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(dated) The state of being mute: that is, of not communicating vocally, whether from selective mutism (refusal to speak) or from an inability to speak."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "syc",
          "lang": "Aramaic",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "tags": [
            "Classical-Syriac"
          ],
          "word": "ܚܪܫܘܬܐ"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "word": "tyhmyys"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "simunǯe",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "word": "სიმუნჯე"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Stummheit"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "topics": [
            "medicine",
            "sciences"
          ],
          "word": "Mutitas"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "bailbhe"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "balbhántaíocht"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "mutezza"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "alogia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "enm",
          "lang": "Middle English",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "word": "dombenesse"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "muțenie"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "nemotá",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "немота́"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "82 8 6 5",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "the state of being mute",
          "word": "dilsizlik"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:",
          "text": "There was speech in their dumbness.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Muteness, silence; abstention from speech."
      ],
      "id": "en-dumbness-en-noun-Gfjk2pHM",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(dated) Muteness, silence; abstention from speech."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "c. 1605–1608, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:",
          "text": "To the dumbness of the gesture one might interpret.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Show or gesture without words; pantomime; dumb-show."
      ],
      "id": "en-dumbness-en-noun-RpTvmWWO",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(dated) Show or gesture without words; pantomime; dumb-show."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "The quality of being stupid or foolish."
      ],
      "id": "en-dumbness-en-noun-TuIxNReR",
      "links": [
        [
          "stupid",
          "stupid"
        ],
        [
          "foolish",
          "foolish"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) The quality of being stupid or foolish."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "2 1 1 97",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "tupostʹ",
          "sense": "the quality of being stupid",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "тупость"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 1 1 97",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "tupizna",
          "sense": "the quality of being stupid",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "тупизна"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "dumbhood"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "word": "dumbnesse"
    }
  ],
  "word": "dumbness"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms derived from Old English",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Old English",
    "English terms suffixed with -ness",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Classical Syriac translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with Georgian translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Irish translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Latin translations",
    "Terms with Middle English translations",
    "Terms with Romanian translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Turkish translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "artificial dumbness"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dombenesse"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dombenesse",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dumbnes"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dumbnes",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dumb",
        "3": "ness"
      },
      "expansion": "dumb + -ness",
      "name": "suf"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ofs",
        "2": "dumbnisse",
        "t": "folly, dumbness"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Frisian dumbnisse (“folly, dumbness”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English dombenesse, from Old English dumbnes; equivalent to dumb + -ness. Cognate with Old Frisian dumbnisse (“folly, dumbness”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dumbnesses",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-",
        "2": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "dumbness (usually uncountable, plural dumbnesses)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "dumb"
    },
    {
      "word": "dumb-show"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English dated terms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1944, Emily Carr, “Sissy's Job”, in The House of All Sorts:",
          "text": "He was a deaf-mute. His dumbness did not seem to matter when we were boys.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The state of being mute: that is, of not communicating vocally, whether from selective mutism (refusal to speak) or from an inability to speak."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "mute",
          "mute"
        ],
        [
          "selective mutism",
          "selective mutism"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(dated) The state of being mute: that is, of not communicating vocally, whether from selective mutism (refusal to speak) or from an inability to speak."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English dated terms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:",
          "text": "There was speech in their dumbness.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Muteness, silence; abstention from speech."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(dated) Muteness, silence; abstention from speech."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English dated terms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "c. 1605–1608, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:",
          "text": "To the dumbness of the gesture one might interpret.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Show or gesture without words; pantomime; dumb-show."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(dated) Show or gesture without words; pantomime; dumb-show."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English informal terms"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The quality of being stupid or foolish."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "stupid",
          "stupid"
        ],
        [
          "foolish",
          "foolish"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) The quality of being stupid or foolish."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "dumbhood"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "word": "dumbnesse"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "syc",
      "lang": "Aramaic",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "tags": [
        "Classical-Syriac"
      ],
      "word": "ܚܪܫܘܬܐ"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "word": "tyhmyys"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "simunǯe",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "word": "სიმუნჯე"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Stummheit"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
      ],
      "word": "Mutitas"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "bailbhe"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "balbhántaíocht"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "mutezza"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "alogia"
    },
    {
      "code": "enm",
      "lang": "Middle English",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "word": "dombenesse"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "muțenie"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "nemotá",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "немота́"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "the state of being mute",
      "word": "dilsizlik"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "tupostʹ",
      "sense": "the quality of being stupid",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "тупость"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "tupizna",
      "sense": "the quality of being stupid",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "тупизна"
    }
  ],
  "word": "dumbness"
}

Download raw JSONL data for dumbness meaning in English (5.8kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (eaedd02 and 8fbd9e8). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.