Etymology

Germanic: from stom, cognate with stem(men), stamelen 'stumble', High German stumm and Stimme 'voice', Old Saxon and Old Frisian stum etc.

Adjective

1. mute, unable to speak, as medical condition or species-determined
2. speechless; soundless, silent

   De bengel bleef eerst stom toen pa vroeg waar hij die porno vandaan had, maar grote broer, de dader, hoorde sidderend dat de riem niet stom bleef...

   De rascal remained mute at first when dad asked where he had got that porn from, but big brother, the culprit, shivered to hear the belt did not remain silent...

3. wordless, non-verbal

   Spotprenten leveren vaak stomme kritiek

   Cartoons often constitute non-verbal criticsm

4. mentally dulling, soul-killing
5. stupid, dumb
6. foolish, senseless, piteous
7. in compouds essentially reinforcing the sense

Usage notes

The use of ‘stom’ for ‘stupid’ is deprecated by the deaf community, since it is the proper word for ‘mute’ in the sense of people who cannot speak. It is, however, common usage, analogous to the use of dumb in English.

Synonyms

sprakeloos stil woordeloos geestdodend dom, dwaas, stompzinnig

Noun

1. A mute person
2. Wine which doesn't ferment because of sulphur addition
   : perfectly parallel to French vin muet