numbness
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numb
(nŭm)adj. numb·er, numb·est
1. Deprived of the power to feel or move normally; benumbed: toes numb with cold; too numb with fear to cry out.
2. Emotionally unresponsive; indifferent: numb to yet another appeal.
tr. & intr.v. numbed, numb·ing, numbs
To make or become numb.
[Middle English nome, variant of nomin, past participle of nimen, to seize, from Old English niman; see nem- in Indo-European roots.]
numb′ly adv.
numb′ness n.
Word History: Old English had a number of strong verbs (often loosely called "irregular" verbs) that did not survive into Modern English. One such was the verb niman, "to take," later replaced by take, a borrowing from Old Norse. The verb had a past tense nam and a past participle numen; if the verb had survived, it would likely have become nim, nam, num, like swim, swam, swum. Although we do not have the verb as such anymore, its past participle is alive and well, now spelled numb, literally "taken, seized," as by cold or grief. (The older spelling without the b is still seen in the compound numskull.) The verb also lives on indirectly in the word nimble, which used to mean "quick to take," and then later "light, quick on one's feet."
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. | numbness - partial or total lack of sensation in a part of the body; a symptom of nerve damage or dysfunction symptom - (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease |
| 2. |  numbness - the trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generallypassivity, passiveness - the trait of remaining inactive; a lack of initiative |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
numbness
noun
1. deadness, paralysis, insensitivity, dullness, torpor, insensibility I have recently been suffering from numbness in my fingers and toes.
2. deadness, dullness, torpor, stupefaction She swung from emotional numbness to overwhelming fear and back again.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
TranslationsSelect a language:
Spanish / Español
numbness
[ˈnʌmnɪs] N1. (lit) I had a feeling of numbness in my legs → se me habían dormido las piernas; (from cold) → tenía las piernas entumecidas
2. (fig) (from grief, fear, shock) → atontamiento m
a feeling of numbness overcame me → me quedé atontado
a feeling of numbness overcame me → me quedé atontado
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
numb
(nam) adjective verb to make numb. The cold numbed her fingers.entumecer
ˈnumbly adverbˈnumbness nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
numb·ness
n. [in a part] entumecimiento, adormecimiento; [confusion] aturdimiento, entorpecimiento.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
numbness
n entumecimiento, adormecimiento, pérdida de sensibilidadEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.