English → Latin
“deaf” in Latin
surdusdeaf; inattentive, unresponsive; silent, noiseless, stillsurdastersomewhat deaf, hard of hearingobsurdēscōto become deaf; to turn a deaf earaccipiōto receive, accept, take; to receive, accept, or take in something so as to alter one’s mental or physical state; to hea
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
deaf
surdus (both of one who can not, and of one who will not hear): auribus captus (whether naturally deaf, or through illness): somewhat deaf, surdaster (Cic., Tusc., 5, 40, 116): naturally deaf, alicui auditus negatus est: to grow deaf, obsurdescere: to make anybody almost deaf with anything, aliquem or alicujus aures obtundere aliqua re: the ears of anybody are deaf to anything, aures alicujus ad aliquid surdae, or ad aliquid clausae sunt; surdus est aliquis in aliqua re; aliquid in aures non recipit or accipit: to be deaf to advice, aliquem (monentem) non audire: to preach to deaf ears, surdo or surdis auribus canere (V.L., 40, 4); frustra surdas aures fatigare (Curt.): surdo narrare fabulam (Terentianus); verba fiunt mortuo (Terentianus): deaf and dumb, naturaliter surdus idemque mutus: cui et auditus negatus est, et sermonis usus ablatus (both after Plin., 10, 69, 88). To turn a deaf ear to anybody, respuere aliquem auribus, or aures aliquem respuunt (to refuse to listen to a person one dislikes).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for deaf?
- The usual Latin words for “deaf” are surdus, surdaster, obsurdēscō; also accipiō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.