Main Entry:

¹mute

Pronunciation:

\ˈmyüt\

Function:

adjective

Inflected Form(s):

mut·er; mut·est

Etymology:

Middle English muet, mut, from Anglo-French, from mu, mute, from Latin mutus, probably from mu, representation of a muttered sound

Date:

1513

1: unable to speak : lacking the power of speech2: characterized by absence of speech: as a: felt or experienced but not expressed <touched her hand in mute sympathy> b: refusing to plead directly or stand trial <the prisoner stands mute> 3: remaining silent, undiscovered, or unrecognized4 a: contributing nothing to the pronunciation of a word <the b in plumb is mute> b: contributing to the pronunciation of a word but not representing the nucleus of a syllable <the e in mate is mute>

— mute·ly adverb

— mute·ness noun