- silence (n.)
- early 13c., from Old French silence "absence of sound," from Latin silentium "a being silent," from silens, present participle of silere "be quiet or still," of unknown origin. Replaced Old English swige. The verb (transitive) is attested from 1590s, from the noun. Silencer "mechanism that stifles the sound of a motor or firearm" first recorded 1898.