"a keeping silent, a becoming willfully mute or obstinately speechless," 1640s, from Late Latin obmutescere "to become dumb or mute," from ob "against, before," here perhaps intensive (see ob-) + mutescere "to grow dumb," an inchoative verb formed from mutus "silent, speechless, dumb" (see mute (adj.)).
obliteration
oblivion
oblivious
oblong
obloquy
obmutescence
obnoxious
obnubilate
obnubilation
obo
oboe