deaf-mute Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a deaf person who is unable to speak
    deaf-and-dumb person; mute.
  2. adjective satellite lacking the sense of hearing and the ability to speak
    deaf-and-dumb.

WordNet

Deaf"-mute` noun
Definitions
  1. A person who is deaf and dumb; one who, through deprivation or defect of hearing, has either failed the acquire the power of speech, or has lost it. See Illust. of Dactylology.
    Deaf-mutes are still so called, even when, by artificial methods, they have been taught to speak imperfectly.

Webster 1913