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silence

Etymology and origin of the French word silence

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1121–1134, Philippe de Thaon, Bestiaire
Borrowed from
Latin silentium
Ultimate origin
Latin (sileō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin silentium
French silence

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /si.lɑ̃s/[1]

Forms

silence m (plural silences)[1] Old French also scilence, sillance, Picard silenche.[2][3] Like the Latin feminine sense, it was sometimes feminine from the early 13th to the middle of the 17th century.[4][2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin silentium (“silence, stillness”), derived from sileō (“to be silent”).[2][4][5][6][1] “Sileō” was first used of the absence of movement and noise, of things as well as people, more commonly than taceō (see taire); its origin is obscure.[4] Littré compared Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌽 (silan, “to be quiet”).[7] Old French also had a verb “siler” “to be silent”.[7]

Compare Occitan silenci, Spanish silencio and Italian silenzio.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Philippe de Thaon's Bestiaire (1121–1134), meaning the state of someone who refrains from speaking.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

About 1190 it also meant not expressing one's thoughts, as in en silence “without a word; without complaining”.[4][5] Phrases followed: faire sillance “to be silent” (about 1210), être mis en silence, a monastic punishment (1327), passer sous silence (1330), imposer silence (15th century) and réduire au silence (1762).[2][4] The command silence ! is recorded by the Académie in 1718.[2]

The general sense, absence of noise, dates from about 1350 (Picard silenche).[4][3] In law le silence de la loi is a case the law does not provide for (1804–1835); in music it names a rest (1767–1770).[2][3] The adjective silencieux dates from 1524.[5]

Timeline

  • 1121–1134 – In Philippe de Thaon's Bestiaire.[2]
  • c. 1190 – En silence.[4]
  • 1327 – Être mis en silence, a monastic punishment.[2]
  • 1330 – Passer sous silence.[2]
  • c. 1350 – Absence of noise.[4]
  • 1524 – Silencieux.[5]
  • 1718 – Silence !, in the Académie dictionary.[2]
  • 1767 – A rest in music, in Rousseau.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. silence, the fact of not speaking: garder le silence, en silence.[8][1]
  2. A pause in speech: une conversation entrecoupée de silences.[8]
  3. Absence of noise, quiet: le silence de la nuit.[3]
  4. Not mentioning, secrecy: passer sous silence, la loi du silence.[3][8]
  5. (music) A rest.[3]
  6. Minute de silence: a minute's silence in memory of the dead.[8]

Interjection

  1. Quiet!: silence, on tourne !.[8][1]

Word family

Usage notes

La parole est d'argent et le silence est d'or: speech is silver, silence is golden.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 611b
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Silence.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/silence. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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