Definition of "silent"

silent

/ˈsaɪlənt/

adjective
comparative silenter or more silent, superlative silentest or most silent
1. Free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet.
  Quotations
  How silent is this town!
  c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act V, scene i]
  What was formerly performed by fleets and armies, by invasions, sieges, and battles, has been of late accomplished by more silent methods.
  1825, Samuel Johnson, Arthur Murphy, The Works of Samuel Johnson, Talboys and Wheeler, page 52
  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.
  1906, William Dean Howells, Sidney Dillon Ripley, Certain Delightful English Towns: With Glimpses of the Pleasant Country Between, Harper & Brothers, page 152
2. Not speaking; indisposed to talk; speechless; mute; taciturn; not loquacious; not talkative.
  Quotations
  Ulysses, adds he, was the most eloquent and most silent of men.
  1725–1726, Homer, “(please specify the book or chapter of the Odyssey)”, in [William Broome, Elijah Fenton, and Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], London: […] Bernard Lintot
  This new-created world, whereof in hell / Fame is not silent.
  1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […]; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873,
  Tothero is silent before replying. His great strength is in these silences; he has the disciplinarian's trick of waiting a long moment while his words gather weight.
  1960, John Updike, 'Rabbit, Run', page 38
3. Keeping at rest; inactive; calm; undisturbed.
  Quotations
  The winds were silent, all the waves asleep, / And heaven was trac'd upon the flattering deep
  a. 1718, Thomas Parnell, Hesiod; or, the Rise of Woman
4. (pronunciation) Not pronounced; having no sound; quiescent.
5. Having no effect; not operating; inefficient.
  Quotations
  Cause […] silent, virtueless, and dead.
  1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], (please specify |book=1 to 5)
6. (technology) With the sound turned off; usually on silent or in silent mode.
7. (technology) Without audio capability.
8. Hidden, unseen.
9. Of an edit or change to a text, not explicitly acknowledged.
  Quotations
  [T]he use of both acknowledged and unacknowledged (silent) translations of non-English sources makes it difficult for users to determine if a certain term genuinely appeared in an English-language text.
  2018, James Lambert, “Setting the Record Straight: An In-depth Examination of Hobson-Jobson”, in International Journal of Lexicography, volume 31, number 4, page 496
10. (genetics) Not implying significant modifications which would affect a peptide sequence.
11. Undiagnosed or undetected because of an absence of symptoms.
12. Of distilled spirit: having no flavour or odour.
noun
plural silents
1. (uncountable) That which is silent; a time of silence.
  Quotations
  Deep night, dark night, the silent of the night.
  1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act I, scene iv]
2. A silent movie
  Quotations
  More than 40 films will be shown spanning the past seventy-five years, including early silents and talkies, contemporary productions, foreign and American films, documentaries, underground works and television shows.
  1978 April 22, “The Celluloid Closet”, in Gay Community News, page 2

Definition of "silent"

silent

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