Meaning of dumb: In ordinary spoken English, a sentence such as He is dumb will be interpreted to mean He is stupid rather thanHe lacks the power of speech. Lacking the power of speech is, however, the original sense of the word, but it has been eclipsed by the meaning *stupid.*For this change in meaning, it appears that the Germans are responsible. German has a similar and related word dumm that means stupid, and over time, as a result of the waves of German immigrants to the United States, it has come to influence the meaning of English dumb. This is one of dozens of marks left by German on American English. Some words, like kindergarten, dachshund, and schnapps still have a German feel or are associated to some extent with Germany, but others, like bum, cookbook, fresh (in the meaning mpertinent), rifle, and noodle have become so thoroughly Americanized their German origins may surprise some. Wow now keep in heart. ;)