silent

See also: SILENT

English

Alternative forms

• scilent (hyper‐correct, obsolete)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsaɪlənt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

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

1. 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.

2. Not speaking; indisposed to talk; speechless; mute; taciturn; not loquacious; not talkative.
   • Broome

     Ulysses, adds he, was the most eloquent and most silent of men.

   • Milton

     This new-created world, whereof in hell / Fame is not silent.

3. 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?)

4. (pronunciation) Not pronounced; having no sound; quiescent.

   The e is silent in fable.

5. Having no effect; not operating; inefficient.
   • Sir Walter Raleigh

     Cause […] silent, virtueless, and dead.

6. (technology) Without audio capability.

   The Magnavox Odyssey was a silent console.

7. Hidden, unseen.

   a silent voter; a silent partner

8. Of an edit or change to a text, not explicitly acknowledged.

   silent revisions; a silent emendation

9. Not implying significant modifications which would affect a peptide sequence.
10. Undiagnosed or undetected because of an absence of symptoms.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:silent
• dumb, mute, quiet, speechless, still, taciturn

Derived terms

Terms derived from silent

• silent alarm
• silent auction
• silent barter
• silent butler
• silent disco

• silent film
• silent key
• silent number
• silent partner
• silent majority

• Silent Sam
• silent service
• silent treatment
• silent vote

Translations

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: zwijgen (nl) (verb "to be silent")

  Middle Dutch: swigen (verb "to be silent")

• 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 (ja) (shizuka na), 無音の (muon no)
• Khmer: ស្ងៀម (km) (sngiĕm), ស្ងាត (sngat)
• Korean: 조용하다 (ko) (joyonghada)
• Lao: ມິດ (mit), ນິ້ງ (ning), ສງັດ (sa ngat)

• Latgalian: kluss m, trāps
• Latin: (verb "to be silent") taceō (la)
• 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
• Old English: swīgian (verb "to be silent")
• Old Saxon: swigon (verb "to be silent")
• Persian: خاموش‏‎ (fa) (xāmuš), بي صدا‏‎ (bisedā), آرام‏‎ (fa) (ārām)
• 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)
• 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: lặng lẽ (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)

• Esperanto: silenta, muta (eo)
• Finnish: hiljainen (fi), vaitelias (fi)
• French: silencieux (fr) m, muet (fr)
• Georgian: ჩუმი (čumi)
• German: schweigsam (de)
• Hindi: चुप (hi) (cup)
• Hungarian: csendes (hu), hallgatag (hu), szótlan (hu)

• Irish: i do thost m
• Italian: muto (it), silenzioso (it)
• Japanese: 黙っている (ja) (damatte iru), 無言の (ja) (mugon no)
• Maori: mōhū, karangatā (remaining quiet when called)
• Norman: silencieux
• Persian: خاموش‏‎ (fa) (xāmuš), ساكت‏‎ (fa) (sāket), لال‏‎ (fa) (lāl)
• Portuguese: silencioso (pt), quieto (pt)
• Russian: молчали́вый (ru) (molčalívyj), безмо́лвный (ru) (bezmólvnyj)
• Swedish: tystlåten (sv)
• Turkish: dilsiz (tr), lal (tr)
• 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) (ārām)
• Turkish: sakin (tr)

not pronounced; having no sound; quiescent

• Finnish: hiljainen (fi)
• German: stumm (de)
• Greek: αθόρυβος (el) (athóryvos)
• Hungarian: néma (hu)
• Norwegian: stum (no)

• Persian: خاموش‏‎ (fa) (xāmuš)
• 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: ناكار‏‎ (fa) (nākār)
• Turkish: etkisiz (tr)

without audio capability

• Finnish: hiljainen (fi)
• Italian: silenzioso (it)
• Persian: لال‏‎ (fa) (lāl), 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 (siopilós)

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

Noun

silent (plural silents)

1. (uncountable) That which is silent; a time of silence.

   • The silent of the night. Shakespeare

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.

Translations

that which is silent

• Finnish: hiljaisuus (fi)
• Italian: silenzio (it) m
• Persian: خاموش‏‎ (fa) (xāmuš)

• Portuguese: silêncio (pt) m
• Zazaki: xemis

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923 in Project Gutenberg: difficult · top · tone · #803: silent · takes · honour · individual

Further reading

• silent in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• silent in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• silent at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• ELINTs, Teslin, enlist, inlets, leints, listen, tinsel

---

French

Verb

silent

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

Anagrams

• lisent

---

Latin

Verb

silent

1. third-person plural present active indicative of sileō