English → Latin
“silent” in Latin
sileōto be silent, noiseless, quiet, make no sound; speak not, to be quiet; to keep silent over or about; to be inactive; restaciturnusuntalkative, taciturn, quiet, silenttaceōto be silent, say nothing, shut up, hold one’s tongue; to be still or at rest; to leave unsaid, keep quiet, pass over orobtineōto have, occupy, possess, hold, obtain; to preserve, keep, maintain, uphold; persist in; to assert, show, prove, demonst
The English word silent itself goes back to Latin sileō, through silēns.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
silent adj.
silens (of things; PROP. and figuratively): Tac. (of persons and things; PROP. and figuratively): taciturnus (of persons habitually silent). To be silent, tacere (not to speak): silere; silentio uti; silentium tenere or obtinere (nut to make a noise).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for silent?
- The usual Latin words for “silent” are sileō, taciturnus, taceō; also obtineō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.