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 first major report suggesting a decline in the age of puberty created controversy back in 1997. After studying 17,000 girls, researchers concluded that among white girls, the average age of breast budding was 9.96, while it was 8.87 for African-American girls. Until then, the generally accepted age was 11 or so.