# numb

Pronunciation: US say "NUM" /nʌm/; UK

## Adjective

1. Unable to feel physical sensation in a part of the body, as from cold, pressure, or an anesthetic.
   - Simple: Not able to feel anything in a part of your body.
   - _Her toes went numb during the hike up the snowy ridge._
   - _He sat so long that his left leg became completely numb._
2. Emotionally unable to feel or respond in the normal way, typically following shock or grief.
   - Simple: Not able to feel normal emotions, often after something very sad or shocking.
   - _Survivors of the crash described feeling numb in the weeks that followed._
   - _She was so numb with grief that the words barely registered._
7. Dull-witted or stupid; lacking quickness of mind. *(dialectal, Maine)*
   - Simple: Stupid or slow to understand things.
   - _Anyone numb enough to trust that scam deserves a stern warning._
   - _He gave such a numb reply that everyone stared in disbelief._

## Verb

3. To cause a part of the body, or a person's feelings, to lose the power of sensation.
   - Simple: To make a part of the body or your feelings unable to feel.
   - _Doctors numb the area before stitching a deep cut._
   - _Years of loss had numbed him to other people's pain._
4. To gradually lose the power of physical sensation, especially from cold or prolonged pressure.
   - Simple: To slowly stop being able to feel, usually in a part of the body.
   - _Fingers numb fast when the temperature drops below freezing._
   - _Her legs numbed after sitting cross-legged for an hour._
5. To reduce the intensity of a feeling such as pain, grief, or fear.
   - Simple: To make a feeling less strong, like pain or sadness.
   - _Painkillers can numb the ache but won't fix the injury._
   - _Time slowly numbed the sharp grief of losing her brother._
6. To dull the mind or mental faculties, making them less sharp or alert.
   - Simple: To make the mind slower or less sharp.
   - _The endless paperwork numbed his judgment over time._
   - _Constant noise can numb the senses until you stop noticing it._

## Adjective

8. Producing numbness; causing a loss of physical sensation. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Causing a part of the body to lose feeling.
   - _A numb chill spread from the frozen ground into every limb._
   - _The numb venom of the creature deadened the wound before pain could rise._

## Origin

This word comes from the past participle of 'nim' ('to take'), and is related to German 'benommen' ('dazed, numb') and Old Norse 'numinn'. The final 'b' was added later; it was never pronounced and was not part of the original word.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/numb (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).