German word

stumm

Pronunciation

IPA/ʃtʊm/

Meaning

  • adjectivesilent

Example

Der stumme Junge lachte nicht.

The silent boy did not laugh.

Illustration for stumm (silent)

More examples

Er stand stumm vor Entsetzen.

He stood speechless with horror.

Core concept

A silent mouth or switched-off loudspeaker that produces nothing audible.

Common phrases

  • stumm vor Entsetzen

    speechless with horror

  • stumm vor Schreck

    speechless with fright

  • stumm vor Fassungslosigkeit

    speechless with disbelief

Similar words

leise: Making little sound or speaking at a low volume.
lautlos: Producing no sound at all, especially of an object or device.
schweigend: Not speaking and remaining quiet.
schweigsam: Habitually quiet and not inclined to talk.

Definition in German

keinen hörbaren Laut von sich gebend; bei Geräten oft als 'stumm geschaltet' gebraucht

Word origin

Stumm is an inherited Germanic adjective attested in Old High German as stum, with its modern device use developing from the older human sense.

Usage tips

  • The fixed expression stumm schalten means to mute a device, and the verb is separable: Man schaltet das Mikrofon stumm.

Other meanings

  • muteadjective
  • soundlessadjective

Opposites

  • gesprächigtalkativeadjective
  • lautloudadjective

Related words

  • Stummheitsilencenoun
  • stummschaltenmuteverb

Word lists with this word