quiet
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English quiete, from Old French quiet (adjective) and quiete (noun), from Latin quiētus, past participle of quiēscere (“to keep quiet, rest”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyeh₁- (“rest”). Doublet of coy and quietus.
Pronunciation[edit]
- enPR: kwī'ĭt, IPA(key): /ˈkwaɪ.ɪt/
- (weak vowel merger) enPR: kwī'ət, IPA(key): /ˈkwaɪ.ət/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -aɪət
Adjective[edit]
quiet (comparative quieter or more quiet, superlative quietest or most quiet)
- With little or no sound; free of disturbing noise.
- I can't hear the music; it is too quiet.
- Having little motion or activity; calm.
- the sea was quiet
- a quiet night at home
- all quiet on the Western front
- Not busy, of low quantity.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 8, in The China Governess[1]:
- It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face.
- The traffic was quiet for a Monday morning.
- Business was quiet for the season.
- Not talking much or not talking loudly; reserved.
- He's a very quiet man usually, but is very chatty after a few beers.
- Not showy; undemonstrative.
- a quiet dress
- quiet colours
- a quiet movement
- (software) Requiring little or no interaction.
- a quiet install
Quotations[edit]
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:quiet.
Synonyms[edit]
- (with little sound): See also Thesaurus:silent
- (having little motion): See also Thesaurus:calm
- (not busy): slow, unbusy
- (not talking): See also Thesaurus:taciturn
- (not showy): modest, plain, simple
Antonyms[edit]
Translations[edit]
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Verb[edit]
quiet (third-person singular simple present quiets, present participle quieting, simple past and past participle quieted)
- (transitive) To cause (someone or something) to become quiet.
- Synonyms: quiet down, quieten
- Can you quiet your child? He’s making lots of noise.
- The umpire quieted the crowd so the game could continue in peace.
- 1631, Saint Augustine, “He Admires Gods Majesty, and is Inflamed with a Deepe Desire of Praising Him”, in William Watts, transl., Saint Augustines Confessions Translated: […], London: […] Iohn Norton, for Iohn Partridge […], →OCLC, book 1, paragraph 1, page 2:
- For thou haſt created us for thy ſelfe, and our heart cannot be quieted till it may fine repoſe in thee.
- (intransitive) To become quiet or calm.
- Synonyms: quiet down, quieten
- When you quiet, we can start talking.
Translations[edit]
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Noun[edit]
quiet (plural quiets)
- The absence of sound; quietness.
- There was a strange quiet in the normally very lively plaza.
- We need a bit of quiet before we can start the show.
- The absence of movement; stillness, tranquility.
- The absence of disturbance or trouble; peace, security.
- 1593, anonymous, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act III:
- The King & his Nobles thinke they may ſleepe in quiet,
Now they haue giuen vs a little holy water at the Court,
But thers no ſuch matter, we be no ſuch fooles,
To be bobd out with words and after come to hanging: […]
Translations[edit]
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Interjection[edit]
quiet
- Be quiet.
- Quiet! The children are sleeping.
Related terms[edit]
- acquiesce
- acquiet
- disquiet
- have a quiet word
- inquietude
- keep quiet
- on the quiet
- peace and quiet
- quiesce
- quiescence
- quiescent
- quietage
- quiet as a mouse
- quiet coach
- quiet down
- quieten
- quiet enjoyment
- quietism
- quietist
- quiet lung
- quietly
- quietness
- quiet period
- quietsom
- quietude
- requiem
- so quiet one can hear a pin drop
- ultraquiet
- unquiet
Further reading[edit]
- “quiet”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “quiet”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- quiet at OneLook Dictionary Search
- Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “quiet”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams[edit]
Catalan[edit]
Etymology[edit]
First attested 1490. From Latin quiētus, in this form probably a borrowing or a semi-learned term; compare also the Old Catalan form quet, queda, which was likely inherited.
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
quiet (feminine quieta, masculine plural quiets, feminine plural quietes)
Synonyms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Copallén[edit]
Noun[edit]
quiet
References[edit]
- Willem F. H. Adelaar, The Languages of the Andes
French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from Latin quiētus, from quiēs (“rest”). Doublet of coi, which was inherited, and quitte, another borrowing.
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
quiet (feminine quiète, masculine plural quiets, feminine plural quiètes)
Usage notes[edit]
Its antonym inquiet is much more common.
Synonyms[edit]
- See calme
Related terms[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- “quiet”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Occitan[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
quiet m (feminine singular quieta, masculine plural quiets, feminine plural quietas)
Synonyms[edit]
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷyeh₁-
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English doublets
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/aɪət
- Rhymes:English/aɪət/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- en:Software
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English interjections
- English 1-syllable words
- English ergative verbs
- en:Silence
- en:Sound
- en:Personality
- Catalan terms borrowed from Latin
- Catalan terms derived from Latin
- Catalan 2-syllable words
- Catalan terms with IPA pronunciation
- Catalan lemmas
- Catalan adjectives
- Copallén lemmas
- Copallén nouns
- French terms borrowed from Latin
- French terms derived from Latin
- French doublets
- French 1-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio links
- French lemmas
- French adjectives
- French terms with rare senses
- French literary terms
- Occitan terms derived from Latin
- Occitan terms with IPA pronunciation
- Occitan lemmas
- Occitan adjectives