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Miscellaneous

What's the origin of the word dumb?

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Dumb is the Old English word that means "mute, speechless," and itself came from an even older word dheubh meaning "confusion, stupefaction, dizziness." Today, dumb still means "unable to speak," but it doesn't have anything to do with intelligence. Its other meaning, however, does.

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The word dumb came from old Norse, Gothic, Saxon and German words around the 10th century that were similar and meant mute or stupid.

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