mudo

Mudo is an adjective used in Spanish and Portuguese to mean unable to speak or silent. It can describe a person who cannot speak, either permanently or temporarily, or a situation characterized by silence. In these languages, the masculine form is mudo and the feminine form is muda.

The word derives from the Latin mutus, meaning speechless or silent, which in turn traces to Indo-European roots associated with being unable to speak. In both Spanish and Portuguese, mudo or muda can function as an adjective or, in some contexts, as a noun referring to a mute person, though using it as a noun can be outdated or considered insensitive in contemporary language.

In modern usage, the term is generally understood but speakers are encouraged to use respectful phrasing when referring to a person who cannot speak, such as "una persona que no puede hablar" in Spanish or "uma pessoa que não pode falar" in Portuguese, rather than labeling someone as a mudo/muda. The expressions remain common in idiomatic phrases like "quedó mudo" (Spanish) or "ficou mudo" (Portuguese), often conveying astonishment or shock rather than a clinical diagnosis.