To deafen; to stun or confuse with noise (Scottish/Northern English dialect).
From Old Norse 'deyfja' or related Scandinavian roots meaning 'to deafen.' Scottish and Northern English dialect word that arrived with Norse settlement and persists in regional speech.
Scottish people still use 'deave' today to describe that overwhelming noise that makes your ears ring—it's a perfect onomatopoeia because it *sounds* like deafening.
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