deafness
English
Etymology
From Middle English deefnesse; equivalent to deaf + -ness.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdɛfnəs/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Noun
deafness (countable and uncountable, plural deafnesses)
- The condition of being deaf; the lack or loss of the ability to hear.
- 1965, Herbert, Frank, Dune (Science Fiction), New York: Ace Books, OCLC 15383013, page 47:
- Paul wet his lips with his tongue, read: “ ‘Think you of I the fact that a deaf person cannot hear. Then, what deafness may we not all possess? What senses do we lack that we cannot see and cannot hear another world all around us? What is there around us that we cannot—’ ”
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- (figurative) Lack of knowledge or refusal to admit a particular problem, issue, etc.
- their deafness to her cries
Derived terms
- inattentional deafness
- peri-lingual deafness
- post-lingual deafness
- stress deafness
- tone-deafness
- urticaria-deafness-amyloidosis syndrome
- word-deafness
Related terms
- deaf
- deafen
Translations
condition of being deaf
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See also
- anosmia
- blindness