numb

adj., numb·er, numb·est.

1. Deprived of the power to feel or move normally; benumbed: toes numb with cold; too numb with fear to cry out.
2. Emotionally unresponsive; indifferent: numb to yet another appeal.

tr. & intr.v., numbed, numb·ing, numbs.

To make or become numb.

[Middle English nome, variant of nomin, past participle of nimen, to seize, from Old English niman.]

numbly numb'ly adv.
numbness numb'ness n.

WORD HISTORY   Old English had a number of strong verbs (often loosely called "irregular" verbs) that did not survive into Modern English. One such was the verb niman, "to take," later replaced by take, a borrowing from Old Norse. The verb had a past tense nam and a past participle numen; if the verb had survived, it would likely have become nim, nam, num, like swim, swam, swum. Although we do not have the verb as such anymore, its past participle is alive and well, now spelled numb, literally "taken, seized," as by cold or grief. (The older spelling without the b is still seen in the compound numskull.) The verb also lives on indirectly in the word nimble, which used to mean "quick to take," and then later "light, quick on one's feet."

adjective

1. Lacking physical feeling or sensitivity: asleep, dead, insensible, insensitive, unfeeling. See awareness/unawareness.
2. Lacking responsiveness or alertness: benumbed, dull, insensible, insensitive, stuporous, torpid, unresponsive, wooden. See awareness/unawareness.

verb

1. To render less sensitive: benumb, blunt, deaden, desensitize, dull. Idioms: take the edge off. See awareness/unawareness.
2. To render helpless, as by emotion: benumb, paralyze, petrify, stun, stupefy, wither. See affect/ineffectiveness.

adj

Definition: deadened, insensitive
Antonyms: lively, responsive, sensitive

v

Definition: deaden
Antonyms: enliven, sensitize

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IN BRIEF: To have no feeling.

Their long walk through the snowy woods left her toes numb.

Being unable to relate to feelings in the physical body while dreaming may indicate that the dreamer has been in a state of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, in which the body is temporarily unable to move. Alternatively, this experience may indicate that the incident being dreamed about was too emotionally numbing for the dreamer to feel.

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - følelsesløs, lammet, stiv
v. tr. - gøre stiv, gøre følelsesløs, lamme
v. intr. - lamme

Nederlands (Dutch)
gevoelloos (maken/ raken), verkleumd, onverschillig, slapend (ledematen), versuffen

Français (French)
adj. - engourdi, (fig) hébété
v. tr. - engourdir, insensibiliser, laisser (qn) comme hébété
v. intr. - s'engourdir, se figer

Deutsch (German)
v. - betäuben, abstumpfen, erstarren lassen
adj. - erstarrt, taub, benommen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - μουδιάζω, ναρκώνω, (μτφ.) παραλύω
adj. - μουδιασμένος, ναρκωμένος, (μτφ.) εμβρόντητος, άναυδος

Italiano (Italian)
intorpidire, intirizzito, intorpidito

Português (Portuguese)
v. - entorpecer
adj. - entorpecido

Русский (Russian)
замерзший, застывший, оцепеневший

Español (Spanish)
adj. - entumecido, paralizado, petrificado
v. tr. - entumecer, dejar helado, paralizar
v. intr. - dejar helado

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - göra stel(frusen), förlama
adj. - stelfrusen, känslolös, domnad

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
失去感觉的, 麻木的, 惊呆的, 发愣的, 使失去感觉, 使麻木, 使惊呆, 使发愣, 变得麻木

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 失去感覺的, 麻木的, 驚呆的, 發愣的
v. tr. - 使失去感覺, 使麻木, 使驚呆, 使發愣
v. intr. - 變得麻木

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 언, 무딘
v. tr. - (고통)완화 시키다, (사람,마음)마비시키다
v. intr. - 감각을 잃게 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 感覚を失った, 麻痺した
v. - 感覚を失わせる, 麻痺させる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يخدر (صفه) خدر, فاقد الحس‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮חסר תחושה, רדום, קופא (מפחד)‬
v. tr., - ‮ביטל התחושה, הרדים, איבן, שיתק, המם‬

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