deafen

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈdɛfən/ UK /ˈdefən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to make deaf or overwhelm with noise

The blast nearly deafened the workers nearby.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make deaf or overwhelm... stun drown out overwhelm din

Word family

Derived forms deafeningdeafeningly

Related forms deaf deafness

Etymology

From deaf (Old English dēaf) plus the verb-forming suffix -en ('to make'). The base descends from Proto-Germanic *daubaz ('dull, deaf'), from a PIE root *dheubh- ('dull, obscure').

dēaf Old English *daubaz Proto-Germanic *dheubh- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# deafen

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈdɛfən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈdefən/

## Meanings
1. to make deaf or overwhelm with noise

## Examples
- The blast nearly deafened the workers nearby.

## Synonyms
- stun
- drown out
- overwhelm
- din

## Derived Forms
- deafening
- deafeningly

## Related Forms
- deaf
- deafness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dēaf
- Root: *daubaz
- Root: *dheubh-

## Etymology
From deaf (Old English dēaf) plus the verb-forming suffix -en ('to make'). The base descends from Proto-Germanic *daubaz ('dull, deaf'), from a PIE root *dheubh- ('dull, obscure').

## AI Etymology
Deafen is from deaf (Old English dēaf) plus the verb-forming suffix -en ('to make'). The base descends from Proto-Germanic *daubaz ('dull, deaf'), from a PIE root *dheubh- ('dull, obscure'). The ancestry passes through Old English dēaf, Proto-Germanic *daubaz, and Proto-Indo-European *dheubh-. In present use as a verb, it means "to make deaf or overwhelm with noise", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Because the origin is uncertain, the safest account is descriptive: the attested senses can be explained, but the ultimate formation remains unresolved. Related words include deaf and deafness; derived forms include deafening and deafeningly.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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