| deaf | 1. Wanting the sense of hearing, either wholly or in part; unable to perceive sounds; hard of hearing; as, a deaf man. "Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf." (Shak) 2. Unwilling to hear or listen; determinedly inattentive; regardless; not to be persuaded as to facts, argument, or exhortation; with to; as, deaf to reason. "O, that men's ears should be To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!" (Shak) 3. Deprived of the power of hearing; deafened. "Deaf with the noise, I took my hasty flight." (Dryden) 4. Obscurely heard; stifled; deadened. "A deaf murmur through the squadron went." (Dryden) 5. Decayed; tasteless; dead; as, a deaf nut; deaf corn. "If the season be unkindly and intemperate, they [peppers] will catch a blast; and then the seeds will be deaf, void, light, and naught." (Holland) Deaf and dumb, without the sense of hearing or the faculty of speech. See Deaf-mute. Origin: OE. Def, deaf, deef, AS. Deaf; akin to D. Doof, G. Taub, Icel. Daufr, Dan. Dov, Sw. Dof, Goth. Daubs, and prob. To E. Dumb (the original sense being, dull as applied to one of the senses), and perh. To Gr. (for) blind, smoke, vapor, folly, and to G. Toben to rage. Cf. Dumb. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| deaf-mute | An individual with deafmutism. (05 Mar 2000) |
| deafferentation | A loss of the sensory input from a portion of the body, usually caused by interruption of the peripheral sensory fibres. Origin: L. De, from, + afferent (05 Mar 2000) |
| deafferentation pain | <symptom> Pain due to loss of sensory input into the central nervous system, as occurs with avulsion of the brachial plexus or other types of lesions of peripheral nerves or because of pathology of the central nervous system. (16 Dec 1997) |
| deafmutism | Inability to speak, due to congenital or early acquired profound deafness. Endemic deafmutism, deafmutism in individuals living in regions where goiter is prevalent, due to severe thyroid deficiency. (05 Mar 2000) |
| deafness | A condition in which the sense of hearing in both ears is not functional for ordinary purposes of life. The hearing level for speech is approximately 71 decibels I.s.o. (international organization for standardization) or 61 db a.s.a. (american standards association) or greater. (12 Dec 1998) |
| deafness, sudden | Sensorineural hearing loss which develops over a period of hours or a few days, varying in severity from mild to total. (12 Dec 1998) |