Wiktionary

silent

See also: SILENT

English edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

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 edit

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

Adjective edit

silent (comparative silenter or more silent, superlative silentest or most silent)

  1. 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.
  2. Not speaking; indisposed to talk; speechless; mute; taciturn; not loquacious; not talkative.
  3. 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
  4. (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.
  5. Having no effect; not operating; inefficient.
  6. (technology) With the sound turned off; usually on silent or in silent mode.
    My phone was on silent.
  7. (technology) Without audio capability.
    The Magnavox Odyssey was a silent console.
  8. Hidden, unseen.
    a silent voter; a silent partner
  9. 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.
  10. (genetics) Not implying significant modifications which would affect a peptide sequence.
  11. Undiagnosed or undetected because of an absence of symptoms.
  12. Of distilled spirit: having no flavour or odour.

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Translations edit

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

Noun edit

silent (plural silents)

  1. (uncountable) That which is silent; a time of silence.
  2. 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 edit

Further reading edit

Anagrams edit

Catalan edit

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

silent m or f (masculine and feminine plural silents)

  1. silent
    Synonym: silenciós

French edit

Verb edit

silent

  1. third-person plural present indicative/subjunctive of siler

Anagrams edit

Latin edit

Verb edit

silent

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of sileō
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