Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “taciturnity” come from?

Taciturnity comes from French taciturnité, from Latin taciturnitas, derived from Latin tacitus meaning silent, with the Latin suffix -itas forming abstract nouns.

taciturnity (English): The trait of being taciturn; Failure to assert a...

Definitions

  1. The trait of being taciturn; Failure to assert a...

Ancestry of “taciturnity”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtaciturnite—
2Latintaciturnitassilence , taciturnity
3Latintaciturnusuntalkative, taciturn, quiet, silent
4LatinTacitus—
5LatintaceoI am silent, say nothing, shut up, hold my...
6Proto-Italictakēōbe silent
7Proto-Indo-Europeantak-to be silent
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tak- →