Silent; not speaking; not uttering words.Incapable of utterance; not having the power of speech; dumb; hence, done, made, etc., without speech or sound.In grammar and philology:Silent; not pronounced: as, the b in dumb is mute.Involving a complete closure of the mouth-organs in, utterance: said of certain alphabetic sounds: see II., 2.In mineralogy, applied to metals which do not ring when struck.In entomology, not emitting audible sounds: opposed to sonant, stridulating, shrilling, etc.: said of insects.Showing no sign; devoid; destitute.Synonyms and Dumb, etc. See silent.n. A person who is speechless or silent; one who does not speak, from physical inability, unwillingness, forbearance, obligation. etc.n. In some Eastern countries, a dumb porter or doorkeeper, usually one who has been deprived of speech.n. In theaters, one whose part is confined to dumb-show; also, a spectator; a looker-on.n. In law, a person who makes no response when arraigned and called on to plead or answer.n. In grammar and philology, an alphabetic utterance involving a complete closure of the mouth-organs; a. check; a stop; an explosive.n. In music:n. In stringed musical instruments of the viol family, a clip or weight of brass, wood, or ivory that can be slipped over the bridge so as to deaden the resonance without touching the strings; a sordino.n. In metal wind-instruments, a pear-shaped leathern pad which can be inserted into the bell to check the emission of the tone.In music, to deaden or muffle the sound of, as an instrument. See mute, n., 3.To check fermentation in. See mutage.To change the feathers; mew; molt, as a bird.To shed; molt, as feathers.n. A mew for hawks.n. A pack of hounds.n. The cry of hounds.To pass excrement: said of birds.To void, as dung: said of birds.n. The dung of fowls.n. See the quotation.In numismatics, destitute of legend or means of identification beyond those furnished by heraldic or other symbolic devices.
