obmutescence means silence; inability or refusal to speak. It carries an Arena rating of 1645, earned across 54 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, obmutescence ranks #955 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #1,398 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #2,623 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #3,296 of 17,151 for The Improbable.
Why “obmutescence” is a great word
OBMUTESCENCE — [Noun] The state of becoming or being silent, especially a willful or obstinate refusal to speak. From Latin obmūtēscere, from ob- (expressing direction) + mūtēscere (to become mute), from mūtus (mute). Unlike reticence, which implies habitual reserve, or aphasia, which denotes a medical loss, obmutescence is a deliberate, hardened quiet. It is the clamped jaw of the prisoner before interrogation, the stony void after a betrayal, or the breath-held stillness of a child who has decided you no longer deserve their words. It is the choice to turn sound into stone.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin obmūtēscō.
noun
- Silence; inability or refusal to speak.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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