noun, Psychiatry. 1. an inability to speak, due to a physical defect, conscious refusal, or psychogenic inhibition. Origin of mutism.
1 A new study finds girls are developing breasts earlier than ever before; American boys and girls are entering puberty about five years younger than they did in 1920.
The researchers looked at more than 1,200 girls ages 6 to 8 in the San Francisco area, the Cincinnati area and New York City, and examined them multiple times between 2004 and 2011. Entering puberty was defined as the age at which a girl's breasts started to develop.