Nonhearing

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having no capacity to perceive sounds through the ears
2. Describing an inability to detect auditory stimuli
3. Characterized by a complete absence of hearing function

Etymology: "Nonhearing" is a plain compound: the prefix "non-" (meaning "not") attached to "hearing," the noun or participle derived from the verb "hear." Put together, it describes a state of not hearing, and the adjective is built on that same pattern as many other English words formed with "non-" to negate a base term. The interest here lies less in the history than in the way the word fits English word-formation. English readily attaches "non-" to existing nouns and adjectives to create negated descriptions, often on the fly, and "nonhearing" follows that habit closely. Its meaning is transparent: the prefix does the negating, and "hearing" supplies the sense of perceiving sound.

Synonyms: deaf, hard of hearing