silence
noun
- lack of audible sound or presence of sounds of very low intensity
verb
- cause to become quiet
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈsaɪ̯ləns/ / [ˈsaɪ̯ləns] ~ [ˈsaɪ̯ln̩s]
intj
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 and sālnes.
- Be silent.
“Silence! Enough of your insolence!”
“(in response to laughter from the audience) Silence! I kill you!”
name
Etymology: From silence.
- A female given name from English.
noun
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 and sālnes.
- The absence of any sound.
“When the motor stopped, the silence was almost deafening.”
“Words like violence break the silence / Come crashing in into my little world”
- The act of refraining from speaking.
“"You have the right to silence," said the police officer.”
“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.”
- Refraining from speaking, for purposes of prayer or meditation; especially, a form of worship practiced by the Society of Friends (Quakers) during meetings.
“During silence a message came to me that there was that of God in every person.”
verb
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 and sālnes.
- To make (someone or something) silent.
“Can you silence the crowd, so we can start the show?”
- To repress the expression of something.
“Women, as well as children, have their thoughts or emotions routinely silenced.”
- To suppress criticism, etc.
“Silence the critics.”
“Silence the doubters.”
- To block gene expression.
- To murder.
“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.”