sileo

Forms

sileō (present infinitive silēre, perfect active siluī); second conjugation, no supine stem, third person-only in the passive^[1] Augustine has a perfect passive silitum est.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *silē- (“to be quiet”), a stative verb beside an adjective *silo- (“quiet, silent”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sh₁i-ló- (“silent”).^[3][4] Cognate with Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌽 (anasilan, “to become quiet”) (of the wind dropping) and Old English sālnes (“silence”).^[3][1] Walde–Hofmann and Ernout–Meillet thought the first meaning was “to come to rest”, and Walde–Hofmann and Pokorny linked it with sinō (“to let”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The prologue of Plautus' Poenulus, quoting or parodying Ennius: silēte et tacēte atque animum advortite, “be silent, keep quiet and pay attention”.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

It is to make no sound, and is used of night and of still weather (Virgil's intempesta silet nox, “the dead of night is silent”).^[4] Of people it is not to speak, or to say nothing in writing, and transitively to keep something quiet or pass it over in silence (Virgil: nor will I say nothing of you, young man).^[4] It also means keeping silent under provocation, and, of things, being at rest or inactive.^[4][1]

Döderlein distinguishes silēre, to be still as opposed to making noise, from taceō, to be silent as opposed to speaking.^[5] Church Latin glosses it “be silent, hold one's peace”.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: silēte et tacēte.^[4][7]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of keeping silent about politics.^[4][7]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil of the silent night.^[4][7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make no sound, be silent, be still.^[4][1][6]
2. Not to speak; to keep silence.^[4][6]
3. (transitive) To say nothing of, pass over in silence; to keep secret.^[4][1]
4. To be at rest, be inactive.^[1]

Word family

• silentium
• silentus
• silēscō
• silēns
• silenter

Related words

• silentiārius
• silentiōsē
• silentiōsus
• taceō
• sinō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
6. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de