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Added 9 October 2026

numb

/nʌm/ verb

In Latin: torpidus, torpēns Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about numb at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Make numb or insensitive.
The shock numbed her senses

adjective

Lacking sensation.
my foot is asleep
(followed by `to') not showing human feeling or sensitivity; unresponsive.
passersby were dead to our plea for help
So frightened as to be unable to move; stunned or paralyzed with terror; petrified.
too numb with fear to move

Origin

From the past participle of nim (“to take”). Compare German benommen (“dazed, numb”) and Old Norse numinn. The final ⟨b⟩ is a later addition; it was never pronounced, and did not appear in the original word.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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