Etymologically
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silence

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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