stillness

English

Alternative forms

• stillnesse (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English stilnesse, from Old English stilnes (“stillness, quiet; absence of noise or disturbance, release, relaxation; silence, abstention from speech; absence of disturbance or molestation, tranquility, peace, security; that which appeases”), equivalent to still +‎ -ness.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈstɪlnəs/
• Rhymes: -ɪlnəs
• Hyphenation: still‧ness

Noun

stillness (countable and uncountable, plural stillnesses)

1. The quality or state of being still.

   Synonyms: calmness, motionlessness, inactivity, inertia

2. Habitual silence or quiet; taciturnity.

   Synonyms: quietness, silence

   • 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 II, scene iii], page 320:

     The grauitie, and ſtillneſſe of your youth / The world hath noted.

   • 1977, Stevie Nicks (lyrics and music), “Dreams”, in Rumours, performed by Fleetwood Mac:

     Like a heartbeat drives you mad / In the stillness of remembering what you had / And what you lost

Translations

quality or state of being still

• Bulgarian: тишина (bg) f (tišina), спокойствие (bg) n (spokojstvie)
• Catalan: calma (ca) f
• Czech: klid (cs) m
• French: calme (fr) m, immobilité (fr) f
• German: Stille (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἡσυχία f (hēsukhía)

• Italian: immobilità (it) f
• Malayalam: നിശ്ചലത (ml) (niścalata)
• Swedish: stillhet (sv) c
• Welsh: llonyddwch (cy)

References

• “stillness”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.