Wiktionary

silent

See also: SILENT

EnglishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

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)

  1. Free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet.
    • c. 1603–1604, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [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.
  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:https://doi.org/10.1093/ijl/ecy010, 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.

SynonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

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

NounEdit

silent (plural silents)

  1. (uncountable) That which is silent; a time of silence.
  2. A silent movie
    • 2007 August 12, Woody Allen, “The Man Who Asked Hard Questions”, in New York Times‎[1]:
      All kinds, silents and talkies.

TranslationsEdit

Further readingEdit

AnagramsEdit

CatalanEdit

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

silent (masculine and feminine plural silents)

  1. silent
    Synonym: silenciós

FrenchEdit

VerbEdit

silent

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

AnagramsEdit

LatinEdit

VerbEdit

silent

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of sileō
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