late 14c., mewet "silent," from Old French muet "dumb, mute" (12c.), diminutive of mut, mo, from Latin mutus "silent, speechless, dumb," probably from imitative base *meue- (cognates: Sanskrit mukah "dumb," Greek myein "to be shut," of the mouth). Form assimilated in 16c. to Latin mutus.
mute (v.)
"deaden the sound of," 1861, from mute (n.). Related: Muted; muting.
mute (n.)
1570s, "stage actor in a dumb show;" 1610s as "person who does not speak," from mute (adj.). Musical sense first recorded 1811 of stringed instruments, 1841, of horns.
雙語例句
1. He sat mute, speechless with ecstasy, gazing into the sky.
他靜靜坐著，凝視天空，一言不發(fā)，心馳神往。
來自柯林斯例句
2. I threw a mute look of appeal at Paula.
我默默地向葆拉投去懇求的目光。
來自柯林斯例句
3. Marianna, the duke's daughter, became mute after a shock.