“Coffee, the favorite drink of the civilized world.” – Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States
OBTUND
obtund
(verb) reduce the edge or violence of; “obtunded reflexes”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
obtund (third-person singular simple present obtunds, present participle obtunding, simple past and past participle obtunded)
(transitive, chiefly, medicine) To reduce the edge or effects of; to mitigate; to dull.
Synonyms
• (dull or mitigate): blunt, deaden
Source: Wiktionary
Ob*tund", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Obtunded; p. pr. & vb. n. Obtunding.] Etym: [L. obtundere, obtusum; ob (see Ob-) + tundere to strike or beat. See Stutter.]
Definition: To reduce the edge, pungency, or violent action of; to dull; to blunt; to deaden; to quell; as, to obtund the acrimony of the gall. [Archaic] Harvey. They...have filled all our law books with the obtunding story of their suits and trials. Milton.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
28 May 2025
AIR
(noun) a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing; “an air of mystery”; “the house had a neglected air”; “an atmosphere of defeat pervaded the candidate’s headquarters”; “the place had an aura of romance”
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