1
- refraining from speech or temporarily speechless强忍着不说话的; 缄默的; 一时说不出话的：
Irene, the talkative one, was now mute.
那个碎嘴子艾琳这会儿却不做声了。
1.1
- not expressed in speech不用语言表达的, 无声的：
she gazed at him in mute appeal.
她对他凝眸直视, 无声地求助。
1.2
- characterized by an absence of sound; quiet无声的; 宁静的：
the great church was mute and dark.
宏伟的教堂里静悄悄, 黑魆魆的。
1.3
- dated (of a person) without the power of speech〈旧〉（人）哑的。
1.4
- (of hounds) not giving tongue while hunting（猎犬）追猎时不吠叫的。
2
- (of a letter) not pronounced（字母）哑音的, 无音的：
mute e is generally dropped before suffixes beginning with a vowel.
哑音e通常在以元音开始的后缀前省略掉。
1
- dated a person without the power of speech〈旧〉哑巴。
1.1
- historical (in some Asian countries) a servant who was deprived of the power of speech〈史〉（一些亚洲国家的）哑奴, 哑仆。
1.2
- historical an actor in a dumbshow〈史〉哑剧演员。
1.3
- historical a professional attendant or mourner at a funeral〈史〉受雇的送葬人, 以送葬为业者。
2
- a device which softens the sound (and typically alters the tone) of a musical instrument, in particular（乐器的）弱音器, 尤指：
2.1
- a clamp placed over the bridge of a stringed instrument to deaden the resonance without affecting the vibration of the strings（装在弦乐器琴马上的）夹头式弱音器。
2.2
- a pad or cone placed in the opening of a brass or other wind instrument（装在管乐器管口的垫式或圆锥体）弱音器。
3
- a device on a television, telephone, or other appliance that temporarily turns off the sound消声器, 弱音器。
with obj.(常作be muted)
1- deaden, muffle, or soften the sound of消除…的声音; 减轻…的声音：
her footsteps were muted by the thick carpet.
厚厚的地毯减轻了她的脚步声。
1.1
- muffle the sound of (a musical instrument), especially by the use of a mute用弱音器减弱（乐器）的声音。
1.2
- figurative reduce the strength or intensity of〈喻〉减弱; 缓和：
his professional contentment was muted by personal sadness at the death of his mother.
他职业上的满足感被母亲去世所带来的悲哀冲淡了。
USAGE
派生词
mutely
adverbmuteness
noun词源
Middle English: from Old French muet, diminutive of mu, from Latin mutus.