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”). Related to 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 (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 606515358, [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 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. 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/subjunctive of siler

AnagramsEdit

LatinEdit

VerbEdit

silent

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of sileō
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