numb

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Unable to feel anything in part of the body.

   My fingers went numb with cold while waiting at the bus stop.

2. 2
   adj

   Unable to feel emotions in a normal way, often because of shock.

   She felt numb with grief after hearing the terrible news.

3. 3
   verb

   To make a part of the body unable to feel.

   The dentist numbed my gum before pulling the tooth.

4. 4
   verb

   To make a feeling or the mind less sharp or intense.

   He drank to numb the pain of losing his job.

From the past participle of nim (“to take”). Compare German benommen (“dazed, numb”) and Old Norse numinn. The final ⟨b⟩ is a later addition; it was never pronounced, and did not appear in the original word.

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