Etymology : Middle English nomen, from past participle of nimen to take; more at NIM
Pronunciation : 'n&m
Function : adjective
Date : 14th century
1. cause to be numb, make insensitive (to pain), anesthetize. anesthetized; lacking sensitivity (to pain); in shock; senseless. numb\numb\ , a. [oe. nume, nome, prop., seized, taken, p. p. of nimen to take, as. niman, p. p. numen.
2. see:
nimble, nomad, and cf. benumb.].
3. enfeebled in, or destitute of, the power of sensation and motion; rendered torpid; benumbed; insensible; as, the fingers or limbs are numb with cold. "a stony image, cold and numb.".
4. producing numbness; benumbing; as, the numb, cold night. [obs.]numb \numb\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. numbed ; p. pr. & vb. n. numbing .] to make numb; to deprive of the power of sensation or motion; to render senseless or inert; to deaden; to benumb; to stupefy. for lazy winter numbs the laboring hand. like dull narcotics, numbing pain.numb adj.
5. lacking sensation; "my foot is asleep"; "numb with cold" [syn: asleep(p) , benumbed].
6. (followed by `to') not showing human feeling or sensitivity; unresponsive; "passersby were dead to our plea for help"; "numb to the cries for mercy" [syn: dead(p) , numb(p) ].
7. so frightened as to be unable to move; stunned or paralyzed with terror; "petrified with fear"; "she was petrified by the eerie sound"; "too numb with fear to move" [syn: petrified] make numb or insensitive; "the shock numbed her senses" [syn: benumb, blunt, dull].
8. Enfeebled in, or destitute of, the power of sensation and motion; rendered torpid; benumbed; insensible; as, the fingers or limbs are numb with cold.
9. Producing numbness; benumbing; as, the numb, cold night.
10. To make numb; to deprive of the power of sensation or motion; to render senseless or inert; to deaden; to benumb; to stupefy. make numb or insensitive; "The shock numbed her senses".
11. 1. If a part of your body is numb, you cannot feel anything there. He could feel his fingers growing numb at their tips My legs felt numb and my toes ached. + numbness numb·ness I have recently been suffering from pain and numbness in my hands.
12. If you are numb with shock, fear, or grief, you are so shocked, frightened, or upset that you cannot think clearly or feel any emotion. The mother, numb with grief, has trouble speaking I was so shocked I went numb. + numbness numb·ness Many men become more aware of emotional numbness in their 40s. + numbly numb·ly He walked numbly into the cemetery.
13. If an event or experience numbs you, you can no longer think clearly or feel any emotion. For a while the shock of Philippe's letter numbed her The horror of my experience has numbed my senses. see also:
mind-numbing + numbed numbed I'm so numbed with shock that I can hardly think. the sort of numbed hush which usually follows an automobile accident.
14. If cold weather, a drug, or a blow numbs a part of your body, you can no longer feel anything in it. An injection of local anaesthetic is usually given first to numb the area She awoke with a numbed feeling in her left leg.