silence

English

Etymology

From Middle English silence, from Old French silence, from Latin silentium (“silence”), from silēns (“quiet, silent”, present participle of silēre) +‎ -ium. Displaced native Old English swīġe.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsaɪl(ə)ns/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsaɪləns/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪləns
• Hyphenation: sil‧ence

Noun

silence (usually uncountable, plural silences)

1. The absence of any sound.

   When the motor stopped, the silence was almost deafening.

   • 1990, Martin L. Gore (lyrics and music), “Enjoy the Silence”, in Violator, performed by Depeche Mode:

     Words like violence break the silence / Come crashing in into my little world

   deadly silence

   in silence

   total silence

2. The act of refraining from speaking.

   "You have the right to silence," said the police officer.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.

   • 1832, Daniel Webster, "a convention", quoted in The History of the Union, and of the Constitution by Charles Chauncey Burr

     The administration itself keeps a profound silence.

3. Form of meditative worship practiced by the Society of Friends (Quakers); meeting for worship.

   During silence a message came to me that there was that of God in every person.

Synonyms

• quietness

Derived terms

Related terms

• silent

Translations

Verb

silence (third-person singular simple present silences, present participle silencing, simple past and past participle silenced)

1. (transitive) To make (someone or something) silent.

   Synonym: mute

   Can you silence the crowd, so we can start the show?

2. (transitive) To repress the expression of something.

   Women, as well as children, have their thoughts or emotions routinely silenced.

3. (transitive) To suppress criticism, etc.

   Silence the critics.

   Silence the doubters.

   • 2011 December 19, Kerry Brown, “Kim Jong-il obituary”, in The Guardian‎:

     A state ideology, mixing nationalism, and basic Marxist economics, going under the name "Juche", was constructed, and Kim Il-sung effectively silenced, disposed of and cleared away any opposition, isolating the country and exercising an iron grip on the military, the state media and the government and party organs.

4. (molecular biology) To block gene expression.
5. (euphemistic) To murder.
   • 2013, Mark Shaw, The Poison Patriarch: How the Betrayals of Joseph P. Kennedy Caused the Assassination of JFK, →ISBN, page 150:

     They, and others through the years, believed Ruby must have acted on his own since there was no logic to the supposition that anyone could trust an uncontrollable, unreliable loudmouth like Ruby to silence Oswald.

Derived terms

• silencer

Translations

See also

• quiet, noise, loud, deaf, audible.

Interjection

silence

1. (imperative) Be silent.

   Silence! Enough of your insolence!

   • 2007 September 17, Spark of Insanity‎, spoken by Achmed the Dead Terrorist (Jeff Dunham):

     (in response to laughter from the audience)
     Silence! I kill you!

Synonyms

• be quiet
• hush
• shut up
• whist

Translations

Anagrams

• license, selenic

French

Etymology

From Latin silentium (“silence”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /si.lɑ̃s/

• Audio (France, Paris)

  (file)

• Homophone: silences

Noun

silence m (plural silences)

1. silence

   Antonyms: bruit, cacophonie, mélodie, musique

Derived terms

• en silence
• faire silence
• le silence est d’or
• minute de silence
• passer sous silence
• porte-silence
• réduire au silence
• silence, moteur, action
• silence radio
• silencieusement
• silencieux

Further reading

• “silence”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Ido

Etymology

silenco (“silence”) +‎ -e (indicates an adverb).

Adverb

silence

1. noiselessly, silently, quietly

Related terms

• silencoza

Middle English

Alternative forms

• scilence, scylence, scilense, silens, sylence, scielence, cilence

Etymology

From Old French silence, from Latin silentium.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siːˈlɛns(ə)/, /siˈlɛns(ə)/

Noun

silence (uncountable)

1. Silence; the state of refraining or refusing to speak.
   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎, published c. 1410, Apocalips 8:1, page 120r; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

     And whanne he hadde opened þe ſeuenþe ſeel. a ſilence was maad in heuene as an half an our.

     And when he had opened the seventh seal, silence occurred in heaven for half an hour.

2. Peace, calm; a state of tranquil and restful behaviour.
3. Quietness; a lack of sound or speaking (for a given area or time).
4. Refraining from excessive speaking or talking.
5. The following of a religious vow of silence.
6. (rare) The termination of a dispute or conflict.
7. (rare) Secrecy or freedom from disruption.

Descendants

• English: silence
• Scots: seelence

References

• “sī̆lence, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-11-03.

Middle French

Noun

silence f (plural silences)

1. silence (absence of noise)