Spanish Word of the Day: Sordo (deaf)

The word sordo, meaning deaf in English, originates from the Latin sordidus, meaning dirty, foul, or sordid. The root is connected to the idea of being unclean or obscured, suggesting a lack of clarity or perception. This connection extends to the concept of not hearing or being deaf. Today, sordo also retains a broader association with silence or muteness.

Sordo is a masculine adjective that describes a masculine noun and sorda is the feminine version describing a feminine noun. Their respective plurals are sordos and sordas.

Sordo and sorda are also used as nouns when referring directly to a person who is deaf. Below are definite and indefinite nouns.

• el sordo/a = the deaf person
• los sordos/as = the deaf people
• un sordo/una sorda = a deaf person 
• unos sordos/unas sordas = some deaf people

Its literal use as an adjective describes a person or animal that is unable to hear and is described as deaf. Individuals who have significant hearing loss are usually diagnosed as sordos.

Those with a discapacidad auditiva (hearing impairment) often go to specialised schools or programs to support deaf students. At these schools, students learn lenguaje de señas (sign language) to communicate and use ayudas visuales y auditiva (visual and hearing aids) to enhance learning. 

• Mi hermano va a una escuela para sordos y ciegos. = My brother goes to a school for the deaf and blind.
• El niño fue diagnosticado sordo desde su nacimiento. = The child was diagnosed as deaf since birth.  

The word is also used figuratively to describe someone who is emocionalmente insensible (emotionally unresponsive) to abstract concepts such as love, pain, and anger. It also refers to individuals who show indiferencia (indifference) or falta de conciencia (lack of awareness) towards various matters, including advice, criticism, feedback, social issues, or other important topics. 

For instance, when someone is unwilling to listen to constructive criticism, we might say they are acting sordos (deaf) by ignoring the person offering the consejo (advice) or crítica (criticism). Similarly, if individuals in power disregard problemas sociales (social issues), such as citizens demanding change from the government, we can refer to these people in power as being sordos (deaf).

• La empresa se mostró sorda a las demandas de sus empleados por mejores condiciones = The company was deaf to its employees’ demands for better conditions
• En su búsqueda de éxito, se volvió sordo a las necesidades de su familia = In his pursuit of success, he became deaf to his family’s needs

One popular song by Colombian artist Shakira called Ciega, Sordomuda (blind, deaf, and mute) is about being so blindly in love that she doesn’t see the man’s red flags.

In many Spanish-speaking countries, the name of the song is a popular phrase to use about those who are blindly in love.

Below are some derivatives using the word sordo/a:

• sordera = deafness (noun)
• sordamente = deafly or silently (adverb)
• sordo/a de nacimiento = deaf from birth
• sordomudo/a = deaf-mute person
• sordociego/a = deaf-blind person
• sordidez = sordidness (something morally distasteful or dirty)
• sordito/a = a diminutive form of the word, often used affectionately to refer to a deaf person

Spanish idioms featuring ‘sordo’