Deaf'-mūte, n.

(dēf'-, or dĕf'-), n. A person who is deaf and dumb; one who, through deprivation or defect of hearing, has either failed to acquire the power of speech, or has lost it after having acquired it. [See Illust. of Dactylology].

Deaf-mutes are still so called, even when, by artificial methods, they have been taught to speak imperfectly.