silent
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈsaɪlənt/
rhymes: -aɪlənt
Forms: form: silenter
form: more silent
form: silentest
form: most silent
form: scilent
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”).
Senses: examples: text: How silent is this town!
ref: 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]:
text: What was formerly performed by fleets and armies, by invasions, sieges, and battles, has been of late accomplished by more silent methods.
ref: 1825, Samuel Johnson, Arthur Murphy, The Works of Samuel Johnson, Talboys and Wheeler, page 52
text: 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.
ref: 1906, William Dean Howells, Sidney Dillon Ripley, Certain Delightful English Towns: With Glimpses of the Pleasant Country Between, Harper & Brothers, page 152:
glosses: Free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet.
examples: text: Ulysses, adds he, was the most eloquent and most silent of men.
ref: 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:
text: This new-created world, whereof in hell / Fame is not silent.
ref: 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:
text: 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.
ref: 1960, John Updike, 'Rabbit, Run', page 38:
glosses: Not speaking; indisposed to talk; speechless; mute; taciturn; not loquacious; not talkative.
examples: text: The winds were silent, all the waves asleep, / And heaven was trac'd upon the flattering deep
ref: a. 1718, Thomas Parnell, Hesiod; or, the Rise of Woman:
glosses: Keeping at rest; inactive; calm; undisturbed.
examples: text: The e is silent in fable.
text: Silent letters can make some words difficult to spell.
text: The l in the English word salmon is silent.
qualifier: pronunciation
glosses: Not pronounced; having no sound; quiescent.
examples: text: Cause […] silent, virtueless, and dead.
ref: 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):
glosses: Having no effect; not operating; inefficient.
examples: text: My phone was on silent.
topics: engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
technology
glosses: With the sound turned off; usually on silent or in silent mode.
examples: text: The Magnavox Odyssey was a silent console.
topics: engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
technology
glosses: Without audio capability.
examples: text: a silent voter; a silent partner
glosses: Hidden, unseen.
examples: text: silent revisions; a silent emendation
text: [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.
ref: 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:
glosses: Of an edit or change to a text, not explicitly acknowledged.
topics: biology
genetics
medicine
natural-sciences
sciences
glosses: Not implying significant modifications which would affect a peptide sequence.
glosses: Undiagnosed or undetected because of an absence of symptoms.
glosses: Of distilled spirit: having no flavour or odour.
Synonyms: sense: free from sound or noise
word: quiet
sense: not speaking; indisposed to talk
word: speechless
word: taciturn
sense: not speaking; mute
word: dumb
word: mute
sense: keeping at rest
word: dormant
word: still
word: inactive
sense: not pronounced
word: mute
sense: not pronounced
word: quiescent
sense: not pronounced
word: servile
sense: hidden; unseen
word: concealed
word: invisible
word: occluded
word: hidden
word: silent
word: silential
word: noiseless
word: soundless
Hypernyms: word: lacking
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 e
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 picture
silent policeman
Silent Sam
silent Sam
silent service
silent treatment
Silent Valley
silent vote
silent whistle
strong silent type
Related terms: word: silence
word: silentiary
word: silentious
word: anechoic
word: asonant
word: inaudible
word: echoless
word: obmutescent
word: mum
word: mumchance
word: nonvocal
word: speechless
word: shtoom
word: voiceless
word: whist
word: wordless
word: tongueless
word: tuneless
word: clickless
word: songless
word: musicless
word: make silent
word: taciturn