Where does “silence” come from?
Silence comes from Middle English silence, from Old French silence, from Latin silentium, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root seyl- meaning to be quiet.
silence (English): The absence of any sound; The act of refraining...
Definitions
- The absence of any sound; The act of refraining...
Ancestry of “silence”, step by step
silence traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English silence
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | silence | Silence; the state of refraining or refusing to... |
| 2 | Old French | silence | — |
| 3 | Latin | silentium | silence, stillness, quiet, noiselessness;... |
| 4 | Latin | -ium | Suffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes... |
| 5 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |
via Italian silenzio
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | silenzio | silence!; shut up!; stop talking!; hush!;... |