Where does “mute” come from?
Mute comes from Latin mutare, from Latin muto, from Latin moveo meaning "to move," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mew-.
mute (English): Not having the power of speech; dumb; Silent; not...
Definitions
- Not having the power of speech; dumb; Silent; not...
Ancestry of “mute”, step by step
mute traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English muet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | muet | Temporarily unable to speak; Mute; unable to... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | muet | — |
via Latin mūtus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | mūtus | mute, dumb, silent, unable to speak, inarticulate |