Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Deaf-mute \Deaf"-mute`\, n.
   A person who is deaf and dumb; one who, through deprivation
   or defect of hearing, has either failed the acquire the power
   of speech, or has lost it. [See Illust. of {Dactylology}.]

         Deaf-mutes are still so called, even when, by
         artificial methods, they have been taught to speak
         imperfectly.

Source : WordNet®

deaf-mute
     adj : lacking the sense of hearing and the ability to speak [syn:
           {deaf-and-dumb}]
     n : a deaf person who is unable to speak [syn: {mute}, {deaf-and-dumb
         person}]