English
deafen
Deafen comes from Old English ādīefan ‘to deafen’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- ‘to sink in’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰewbʰ-‘to sink in’root as named
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*uʀdaubijanreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ādīefanas ādȳfan‘to deafen’
- Englishearliest quotation 1849–1861deafen
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰewbʰ-‘to sink in’root as named
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*uʀdaubijanreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ādīefanas ādȳfan‘to deafen’
- Englishearliest quotation 1849–1861deafen
Earliest quotation: 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Secon: “Racine left the ground […] deafened, dazzled and tired…”
Formed from deaf + -en
Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- ‘to whisk, smoke, darken, obscure’
Proto-Germanic *daubaz ‘deaf or stunned’
Proto-West Germanic *daub
Old English dēaf
Middle English def
English deaf
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- ‘to sink in’
bottom, fund, foundation, deep, dumb, dave, depth, founder, dip, fond, bot, dove, dub, bourne, butte, typhus, deafness, doof, 23 more
Today it means
verb To make deaf, either temporarily or permanently.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- / deafen