From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Deaden \Dead"en\ (d[e^]d"'n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Deadened}
(d[e^]d"'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Deadening}.] [From {Dead}; cf.
AS. d?dan to kill, put to death. See {Dead}, a.]
1. To make as dead; to impair in vigor, force, activity, or
sensation; to lessen the force or acuteness of; to blunt;
as, to deaden the natural powers or feelings; to deaden a
sound.
[1913 Webster]
As harper lays his open palm
Upon his harp, to deaden its vibrations.
--Longfellow.
[1913 Webster]
2. To lessen the velocity or momentum of; to retard; as, to
deaden a ship's headway.
[1913 Webster]
3. To make vapid or spiritless; as, to deaden wine.
[1913 Webster]
4. To deprive of gloss or brilliancy; to obscure; as, to
deaden gilding by a coat of size.
[1913 Webster]
5. To render impervious to sound, as a wall or floor; to
deafen.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
deaden
v 1: make vague or obscure or make (an image) less visible;
"muffle the message" [syn: {dampen}, {deaden}, {damp}]
2: cut a girdle around so as to kill by interrupting the
circulation of water and nutrients; "girdle the plant" [syn:
{girdle}, {deaden}]
3: make vapid or deprive of spirit; "deadened wine"
4: lessen the momentum or velocity of; "deaden a ship's headway"
5: become lifeless, less lively, intense, or active; lose life,
force, or vigor
6: make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor,
force, activity, or sensation; "Terror blunted her feelings";
"deaden a sound" [syn: {deaden}, {blunt}] [ant: {animate},
{enliven}, {invigorate}, {liven}, {liven up}]
7: convert (metallic mercury) into a grey powder consisting of
minute globules, as by shaking with chalk or fatty oil
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