Third person singular present tense of 'deaden'; reduces the intensity, brightness, or effect of something.
From 'deaden' (deað + -en), first recorded in Middle English. The verb form describes the action of making something progressively less active, loud, or noticeable.
Your earplugs deaden sound, pain medication deadens pain, and heavy curtains deaden light—yet deadens is one of those verbs we use so naturally we forget how poetic it is, literally comparing every kind of reduction to making something less alive.
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