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, sc. 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

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: صامت (Saamit)

  Egyptian Arabic: ساكت m (saket), ساكتة f (sakta)

• Armenian: խաղաղ (xałał), հանգիստ (hangist), հանդարտ (handart)
• Czech: tichý (cs)
• Esperanto: kvieta (eo)
• Finnish: hiljainen (fi), äänetön (fi)
• French: silencieux (fr) m, (verb "to be silent") taire (fr)
• German: still (de), (verb "to be silent") schweigen (de)
• Greek: αθόρυβος (el) (athóryvos)
• Hindi: चुप (cup)
• Hungarian: csendes (hu), hangtalan (hu), zajtalan (hu)
• Icelandic: hljóður (is) m
• Japanese: 静かな (ja) (shizuka na), 無音の (ja) (muon no)

• Jèrriais: silencieux
• Latgalian: kluss m
• Latin: (verb "to be silent") taceō (la)
• Latvian: kluss m
• Maori: mōhū
• Persian: خاموش (fa) (xāmuš), بي صدا (bisedā), آرام (fa) (ārām)
• Portuguese: silencioso (pt)
• Russian: тихий (ru) (tíxij)
• Spanish: silencioso (es)
• Swedish: tyst (sv)
• Volapük: stilik (vo)
• Welsh: (verb "to be silent") tewi (cy)

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

• Armenian: լուռ (luṙ)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 沉默 (zh) (chénmò)

• Esperanto: silenta, muta (eo)
• Finnish: hiljainen (fi)
• French: silencieux (fr) m, muet (fr)
• German: schweigsam (de)
• Hindi: चुप (cup)

• Hungarian: csendes (hu), hallgatag (hu), szótlan (hu)
• Irish: i do thost m
• Japanese: 黙っている (ja) (damatte iru), 無言の (ja) (mugon no)
• Jèrriais: silencieux
• Maori: mōhū
• Persian: خاموش (fa) (xāmuš), ساكت (fa) (sāket), لال (fa) (lāl)
• Portuguese: silencioso (pt), quieto (pt)
• Russian: молчаливый (ru) (molčalívyj), безмолвный (ru) (bezmólvnyj)
• Swedish: tystlåten (sv)

keeping at rest; inactive; calm; undisturbed

• Armenian: խաղաղ (xałał), հանդարտ (handart)
• Finnish: tyyni (fi)

• German: still (de)
• Persian: آرام (fa) (ārām)

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: непроизносимый (ru) (neproiznosímyj), немой (ru) (nemój)
• Swedish: stum (sv)

having no effect; not operating; inefficient

• Finnish: äänetön (fi)

• Persian: ناكار (fa) (nākār)

without audio capability

• Finnish: hiljainen (fi)

• Persian: لال (fa) (lāl), گنگ (fa) (gong)

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 Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Greek: σιωπηλός

• Portuguese: silencioso, mudo
• Spanish: silencioso, 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”, New York Times:

     All kinds, silents and talkies.

Translations

that which is silent

• Finnish: hiljaisuus (fi)
• Persian: خاموش (fa) (xāmuš)

• Portuguese: silêncio (pt) m

Statistics

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

External links

• 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

• enlist
• inlets
• leints
• listen
• tinsel

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French

Verb

silent

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

Anagrams

• lisent

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Latin

Verb

silent

1. third-person plural present active indicative of sileō