English
silent
Silent comes from Latin sileō ‘be silent’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *seyl- ‘still, windless, quiet, slow’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seyl-‘still’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsileō‘be silent’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsilēnspresent participle of sileō
- Englishearliest quotation 1591silent
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seyl-‘still’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsileō‘be silent’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsilēnspresent participle of sileō
- Englishearliest quotation 1591silent
Earliest quotation: 1591, William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]: “Deep night, dark night, the silent of the night.”
Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *seyl-
Today it means
adj Free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *seyl- / silent