dumb
part of speech
adjective (dumb, dumber, dumbest)
meaning for a pupil
1) In everyday talk, especially in the USA, dumb means stupid or silly, and it is a rude word for a person. tree →
2) In older English, dumb meant not able to speak; this use is now hurtful and people say «non-speaking» or «unable to speak» instead. tree →
3) To be struck dumb means to be so surprised that you cannot say anything for a moment. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Here it is the old meaning "unable to speak"; God says He is the one who makes a person unable to speak, or deaf, or seeing, or blind. Interpretation: Tradition reads this as God telling Moses that He, not Moses, controls speech, so Moses should not fear his slow tongue and should go to Pharaoh. In the primary lessons: In stories it may show a character calling an idea or thing silly («a dumb mistake») or being too shocked to speak. In school pupils learn it is unkind to call a person dumb. Phrases: «a dumb idea», «struck dumb», «dumb luck» (pure luck), «play dumb» (pretend not to know).
examples
- And the LORD said unto him: 'Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? is it not I the LORD? (Torah EXO.4.11, JPS 1917) tree →
- I am dumb, I open not my mouth; because Thou hast done it. (Writings PSA.39.10, JPS 1917) tree →
- Let the lying lips be dumb, which speak arrogantly against the righteous, with pride and contempt. (Writings PSA.31.19, JPS 1917) tree →
- Open thy mouth for the dumb, in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. (Writings PRO.31.8, JPS 1917) tree →
- That was a dumb mistake; I forgot to carry the one. tree →
- It's unkind to call anyone dumb. tree →
- She was struck dumb when she saw the surprise party. tree →
- He played dumb when Mum asked who ate the cake. tree →
- We won by dumb luck, not by skill. tree →
- I felt dumb when I put my shoes on the wrong feet. tree →
- Animals are sometimes called «dumb animals» because they cannot talk, but they are not stupid. tree →
- The lad was dumb with fright. tree →
note
The «b» is silent; it rhymes with «thumb». Calling a person dumb is rude, and using it for people who cannot speak is hurtful and old-fashioned. Saying a mistake was dumb is milder than calling a person dumb.
In the corpora
- Woe unto him that saith to the wood: 'Awake', to the dumb stone: 'Arise!' Can this teach?
- Let the lying lips be dumb, which speak arrogantly against the righteous, with pride and contempt.
- But I am as a deaf man, I hear not; and I am as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
- I was dumb with silence; I held my peace, had no comfort; and my pain was held in check.
- I am dumb, I open not my mouth; because Thou hast done it.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «dumb» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.