# silent
## English
### Alternative forms

* scilent (hypercorrect, obsolete)

### Etymology

From Latin silēns (“silent”), present participle of sileō (“be silent”), from Proto-Indo-European *seyl- (“still, windless, quiet, slow”). Related to Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌽 (anasilan, “to cease, grow still, be silent”), Old English sālnes (“silence”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsaɪlənt/
* Rhymes: -aɪlənt
* Audio (US):(file)

### Adjective

silent (comparative silenter or more silent, superlative silentest or most silent)
* Free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet.
** c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:How silent is this town!
** 1825, Samuel Johnson, Arthur Murphy, The Works of Samuel Johnson, Talboys and Wheeler, page 52:
    What was formerly performed by fleets and armies, by invasions, sieges, and battles, has been of late accomplished by more silent methods.
** 1906, William Dean Howells, Sidney Dillon Ripley, Certain Delightful English Towns: With Glimpses of the Pleasant Country Between, Harper & Brothers, page 152:The voice of the auctioneer is slow and low […] ; after a pause, which seems no silenter than the rest of the transaction, he ceases to repeat the bids, and his fish, in the measure of a bushel or so, have gone for a matter of three shillings.
* Not speaking; indisposed to talk; speechless; mute; taciturn; not loquacious; not talkative.
** 1725–1726, Homer, “(please specify the book or chapter of the Odyssey)”, in [William Broome, Elijah Fenton, Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC:Ulysses, adds he, was the most eloquent and most silent of men.
** 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:This new-created world, whereof in hell / Fame is not silent.
** 1960, John Updike, 'Rabbit, Run', page 38:Tothero is silent before replying. His great strength is in these silences; he has the disciplinarian's trick of waiting a long moment while his words gather weight.
* Keeping at rest; inactive; calm; undisturbed.
** a. 1718, Thomas Parnell, Hesiod; or, the Rise of Woman:The winds were silent, all the waves asleep, / And heaven was trac'd upon the flattering deep
* (pronunciation) Not pronounced; having no sound; quiescent.
    The e is silent in fable.
    Silent letters can make some words difficult to spell.
    The “l” in the English word "salmon" is silent.
* Having no effect; not operating; inefficient.
** 1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=1 to 5):Cause […] silent, virtueless, and dead.
* (technology) With the sound turned off; usually on silent or in silent mode.
    My phone was on silent.
* (technology) Without audio capability.
    The Magnavox Odyssey was a silent console.
* Hidden, unseen.
    a silent voter; a silent partner
* Of an edit or change to a text, not explicitly acknowledged.
    silent revisions; a silent emendation
** 2018, James Lambert, “Setting the Record Straight: An In-depth Examination of Hobson-Jobson”, in International Journal of Lexicography, volume 31, number 4, →DOI, page 496:[T]he use of both acknowledged and unacknowledged (silent) translations of non-English sources makes it difficult for users to determine if a certain term genuinely appeared in an English-language text.
* (genetics) Not implying significant modifications which would affect a peptide sequence.
* Undiagnosed or undetected because of an absence of symptoms.
* Of distilled spirit: having no flavour or odour.

#### Synonyms

* (free from sound or noise): quiet; see also Thesaurus:silent
* (not speaking; indisposed to talk): speechless, taciturn; see also Thesaurus:taciturn
* (not speaking; mute): dumb, mute; see also Thesaurus:mute
* (keeping at rest): dormant, still; see also Thesaurus:inactive
* (not pronounced): mute, quiescent, servile
* (hidden; unseen): concealed, invisible, occluded; see also Thesaurus:hidden

#### Derived terms

* be silent
* fall silent
* on silent
* pseudosilent
* radio silent
* right to remain silent
* serosilent
* silent agitator
* silent alarm
* silent as a grave
* silent as the grave
* silent as the tomb
* silent auction
* silent barter
* silent butler
* silent-but-violent
* silent cinema
* silent commerce
* silent cop
* silent disco
* silent fart
* silent film
* silent forest syndrome
* silent h
* silentish
* silent key
* silent killer
* silent listing
* silently
* silent majority
* silent miscarriage
* silent mode
* silent mutation
* silent number
* silent partner
* silent policeman
* Silent Sam
* silent Sam
* silent service
* silent treatment
* silent vote
* silent whistle
* strong silent type

#### Related terms

* silence
* silentiary
* silentious

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Noun

silent (plural silents)
* (uncountable) That which is silent; a time of silence.
** 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:Deep night, dark night, the silent of the night.
* A silent movie
** 1978 April 22, “The Celluloid Closet”, in Gay Community News, page 2:More than 40 films will be shown spanning the past seventy-five years, including early silents and talkies, contemporary productions, foreign and American films, documentaries, underground works and television shows.

#### Translations
### Further reading

* “silent”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
* “silent”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
* “silent”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

### Anagrams

* ELINTs, Teslin, enlist, inlets, leints, lets in, listen, tinsel

## Catalan
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central) [siˈlen]
* IPA: (Balearic, Valencia) [siˈlent]

### Adjective

silent m or f (masculine and feminine plural silents)
* silent
    Synonym: silenciós

## French
### Verb

silent
* third-person plural present indicative/subjunctive of siler

### Anagrams

* lisent

## Latin
### Verb

silent
* third-person plural present active indicative of sileō