silent

See also: SILENT

EnglishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

scilent (hyper‐correct, obsolete)

EtymologyEdit

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

PronunciationEdit

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

AdjectiveEdit

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

Free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet.
- 1604, William Shakespeare, Othello, act 5, scene 1:
  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 and 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.
- (Can we date this quote?) Broome
  Ulysses, adds he, was the most eloquent and most silent of men.
- (Can we date this quote?) John Milton
  This new-created world, whereof in hell / Fame is not silent.
Keeping at rest; inactive; calm; undisturbed.
The wind is silent.

(Can we find and add a quotation of Parnell to this entry?)

(Can we find and add a quotation of Sir Walter Raleigh to this entry?)
(pronunciation) Not pronounced; having no sound; quiescent.
The e is silent in fable.

Silent letters can make some words difficult to spell.
Having no effect; not operating; inefficient.
- (Can we date this quote?) Sir Walter Raleigh
  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
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.

SynonymsEdit

(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 termsEdit

Terms derived from silent

TranslationsEdit

free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet

Arabic: صَامِت‎ (ṣāmit)
Egyptian Arabic: ساكت‎ m (saket), ساكتة‎ f (sakta)
Armenian: խաղաղ (hy) (xałał), հանգիստ (hy) (hangist), հանդարտ (hy) (handart)
Belarusian: ці́хі m (cíxi), (verb "to be silent") маўча́ць impf (maŭčácʹ)
Bulgarian: мълча́ (bg) impf (mǎlčá) (verb "to be silent"), тих (bg) (tih)
Burmese: တိတ် (my) (tit)
Catalan: callar (ca) (verb "to be silent")
Chinese:
Cantonese: 安靜, 安静 (on¹ zing⁶), 恬靜, 恬静 (tim⁴ zing⁶, tim⁵ zing⁶), 靜, 静 (zing⁶)

Hakka: 安靜, 安静 (ôn-chhin), 恬靜, 恬静 (tiâm-chhin), 恬 (tiâm), 恬恬 (tiâm-tiâm)

Mandarin: 安靜 (zh), 安静 (zh) (ānjìng), 恬靜 (zh), 恬静 (zh) (tiánjìng)

Min Nan: 安靜 (zh-min-nan), 安静 (zh-min-nan) (an-chēng), 恬恬 (zh-min-nan) (tiām-tiām), 恬靜 (zh-min-nan), 恬静 (tiām-chēng), 恬 (zh-min-nan) (tiām)
Czech: tichý (cs), mlčet (cs) (verb "to be silent")
Dutch: stil (nl)
Esperanto: kvieta (eo)
Finnish: hiljainen (fi), äänetön (fi)
French: silencieux (fr) m, (verb "to be silent") taire (fr)
Georgian: ჩუმი (čumi)
German: still (de), (verb "to be silent") schweigen (de)
Greek: αθόρυβος (el) (athóryvos)
Hindi: चुप (hi) (cup)
Hungarian: csendes (hu), hangtalan (hu), zajtalan (hu)
Icelandic: hljóður (is) m
Irish: i do thost
Italian: silenzioso (it)
Japanese: 静かな (shizuka na), 無音の (muon no)
Khmer: ស្ងៀម (km) (sngiəm), ស្ងាត (sngaat)
Korean: 조용하다 (ko) (joyonghada)
Lao: ມິດ (mit), ນິ້ງ (ning), ສງັດ (sa ngat)
Latgalian: kluss m, trāps
Latin: silens (la), tacitus
Latvian: kluss m

Macedonian: тих (tih), молчи impf (molči) (verb "to be silent"), ќу́ти impf (ḱúti) (verb "to be silent)
Maori: mōhū
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Norman: silencieux
Norwegian:
Bokmål: lydløs
Old English: swīgian (verb "to be silent")
Old Saxon: swigon (verb "to be silent")
Persian: خاموش‎ (fa) (xâmuš), بی‌صدا‎ (bi-sedâ), آرام‎ (fa) (ârâm)
Polish: milczeć (pl) (verb "to be silent")
Portuguese: silencioso (pt)
Quechua: upalla
Russian: ти́хий (ru) (tíxij), молча́ть (ru) impf (molčátʹ) (verb "to be silent")
Serbo-Croatian: tih (sh) m
Cyrillic: му́чати impf (verb "to be silent"), тих

Roman: múčati (sh) impf (verb "to be silent"), tih (sh)
Slovak: tichý, mlčať impf (verb "to be silent")
Slovene: tih (sl), molčati (sl) impf (verb "to be silent")
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: mjelcaś impf (verb "to be silent")
Spanish: silencioso (es), callar (es) (verb "to be silent")
Swedish: tyst (sv)
Tagalog: tahimik
Thai: เงียบ (th) (ngîiap), นิ่ง (th) (nîng), สงัด (th) (sà-ngàt)
Turkish: sessiz (tr)
Ukrainian: ти́хий (týxyj), мовча́ти impf (movčáty) (verb "to be silent")
Vietnamese: yên lặng (vi)
Volapük: stilik (vo)
Welsh: (verb "to be silent") tewi (cy)
Yiddish: שטום‎ (shtum)
Zazaki: béveng

not speaking; indisposed to talk; speechless; mute; taciturn

Armenian: լուռ (hy) (luṙ)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 沉默 (cam⁴ mak⁶), 緘默, 缄默 (gaam¹ mak⁶, zin¹ mak⁶)

Mandarin: 沉默 (zh) (chénmò), 緘默 (zh), 缄默 (zh) (jiānmò)
Dutch: zwijgend (nl), zwijgzaam (nl)
Esperanto: silenta, muta (eo)
Finnish: hiljainen (fi), vaitelias (fi)
French: silencieux (fr) m, muet (fr)
Georgian: ჩუმი (čumi)
German: schweigsam (de)
Greek:
Ancient Greek: σιγηρός (sigērós)
Hindi: चुप (hi) (cup)
Hungarian: csendes (hu), hallgatag (hu), szótlan (hu)

Irish: i do thost
Italian: muto (it), silenzioso (it)
Japanese: 黙っている (ja) (damatte iru), 無言の (mugon no)
Maori: mōhū, karangatā (remaining quiet when called), whakakeke
Norman: silencieux
Persian: خاموش‎ (fa) (xâmuš), ساکت‎ (fa) (sâket), لال‎ (fa) (lâl)
Portuguese: silencioso (pt), quieto (pt)
Russian: молчали́вый (ru) (molčalívyj), безмо́лвный (ru) (bezmólvnyj)
Swedish: tystlåten (sv)
Turkish: dilsiz (tr), lal (tr)
Vietnamese: lặng lẽ (vi), câm lặng
Yiddish: שטום‎ (shtum)
Zazaki: sukut

keeping at rest; inactive; calm; undisturbed

Armenian: խաղաղ (hy) (xałał), հանդարտ (hy) (handart)
Finnish: tyyni (fi)
German: still (de)

Italian: silente (it), tranquillo (it)
Persian: آرام‎ (fa) (ârâm)
Turkish: sakin (tr)

not pronounced; having no sound; quiescent

Finnish: hiljainen (fi)
French: muet (fr) m
German: stumm (de)
Greek: αθόρυβος (el) (athóryvos)
Hungarian: néma (hu)
Norwegian: stum (no)

Persian: خاموش‎ (fa) (xâmuš)
Portuguese: silencioso (pt)
Russian: непроизноси́мый (ru) (neproiznosímyj), немо́й (ru) (nemój)
Swedish: stum (sv)
Turkish: sessiz (tr)
Zazaki: isız

having no effect; not operating; inefficient

Finnish: äänetön (fi), tehoton
Persian: ناکار‎ (fa) (nâkâr)

Turkish: etkisiz (tr)

in silent mode, on silent, with the sound turned off

Finnish: äänetön (fi), äänettömällä, äänettömälle

German: lautlos (de), leise (de), stumm (de)

without audio capability

Finnish: hiljainen (fi)
Italian: silenzioso (it)
Persian: لال‎ (fa) (lâl), گنگ‎ (fa) (gong)

Portuguese: mudo (pt)
Zazaki: lal

hidden, unseen

Finnish: hiljainen (fi)

Turkish: sessiz (tr), sakin (figuratively)

not implying significant modifications which would affect a peptide sequence

Finnish: hiljainen (fi)
French: silencieux (fr)
Italian: silenzioso (it)

Portuguese: silencioso (pt)
Spanish: silencioso (es)
Zazaki: bévengey

undiagnosed or undetected because of an absence of symptoms

Finnish: piilevä (fi)
French: silencieux (fr)
Italian: silenzioso (it)

Portuguese: silencioso (pt)
Spanish: silencioso (es)

to refrain from speaking — see be silent

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

Greek: ^{(please verify)} σιωπηλός (el) (siopilós)

Spanish: ^{(please verify)} silencioso (es), ^{(please verify)} callado (es)

NounEdit

silent (plural silents)

(uncountable) That which is silent; a time of silence.
- 1591, William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene iv]:
  Deep night, dark night, the silent of the night.
A silent movie
- 2007 August 12, Woody Allen, “The Man Who Asked Hard Questions”, in New York Times‎^[1]:
  All kinds, silents and talkies.