MUTE
—adjective. 1 silent, refraining from or temporarily bereft of speech. 2 (of a person or animal) dumb. 3 not expressed in speech (mute protest). 4 (of a letter) not pronounced. —none. 1 dumb person. 2 device for damping the sound of a musical instrument. 3 unsounded consonant. —verb. (-ting) 1 deaden or soften the sound of (esp. A musical instrument). 2 a tone down, make less intense. B (as muted adj.) (of colours etc.) Subdued. ? mutely adverb. Muteness none. [latin mutus]