Silence

6 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Silence \Si"lence\, interj.
     Be silent; -- used elliptically for let there be silence, or
     keep silence. --Shak.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:



  Silence \Si"lence\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Silenced}; p. pr. & vb.
     n. {Silencing}.]
     1. To compel to silence; to cause to be still; to still; to
        hush.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Silence that dreadful bell; it frights the isle.
                                                    --Shak.
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     2. To put to rest; to quiet.
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              This would silence all further opposition.
                                                    --Clarendon.
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              These would have silenced their scruples. --Rogers.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To restrain from the exercise of any function, privilege
        of instruction, or the like, especially from the act of
        preaching; as, to silence a minister of the gospel.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The Rev. Thomas Hooker of Chelmsford, in Essex, was
              silenced for nonconformity.           --B. Trumbull.
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     4. To cause to cease firing, as by a vigorous cannonade; as,
        to silence the batteries of an enemy.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Silence \Si"lence\, n. [F., fr. L. silentium. See {Silent}.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. The state of being silent; entire absence of sound or
        noise; absolute stillness.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I saw and heared; for such a numerous host
              Fled not in silence through the frighted deep.
                                                    --Milton.
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     2. Forbearance from, or absence of, speech; taciturnity;
        muteness.
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     3. Secrecy; as, these things were transacted in silence.
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              The administration itself keeps a profound silence.
                                                    --D. Webster.
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     4. The cessation of rage, agitation, or tumilt; calmness;
        quiest; as, the elements were reduced to silence.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. Absence of mention; oblivion.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              And what most merits fame, in silence hid. --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  silence
       n 1: the state of being silent (as when no one is speaking);
            "there was a shocked silence"; "he gestured for silence"
       2: the absence of sound; "he needed silence in order to sleep";
          "the street was quiet" [syn: {quiet}] [ant: {sound}]
       3: a refusal to speak when expected; "his silence about my
          contribution was surprising" [syn: {muteness}]
       4: the trait of keeping things secret [syn: {secrecy}, {secretiveness}]
       v 1: cause to be quiet or not talk; "Please silence the children
            in the church!" [syn: {hush}, {quieten}, {still}, {shut
            up}, {hush up}] [ant: {louden}]
       2: keep from expression, for example by threats or pressure;
          "All dissenters were silenced when the dictator assumed
          power"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  218 Moby Thesaurus words for "silence":
     answer, answer conclusively, argue down, asphyxiate, ataraxia,
     ataraxy, blow to pieces, blow up, blunt, bottle up, brain, brevity,
     briefness, bring down, brusqueness, burn to death, calm, calmness,
     censor, choke, choke off, clamp down on, composure, conciseness,
     confound, confute, contemplation, contradict, controvert, cork,
     cork up, crack down on, crush, curtains, curtness, cut down,
     cut to pieces, damp, damp down, dampen, deaden, deal a deathblow,
     decease, deck, defeat, deflate, demise, demolish, deny, disarm,
     disintegrate, dismiss, dispose of, dissolution, drop, drown, dumb,
     dumbfound, dumbness, economy of words, emasculate, enchain,
     extinguish, fell, finish, floor, frag, gag, give the quietus,
     gun down, hamstring, handcuff, hobble, hog-tie, hold down,
     hugger-mugger, hugger-muggery, hush, hush-hush, imperturbability,
     incinerate, inhibit, jugulate, jump on, keep down, keep under,
     kill, knock out, laconicalness, laconism, lapidate, lay low,
     lucid stillness, lull, manacle, marmoreal repose, mitigate,
     mollify, muffle, mute, muteness, muzzle, nirvana, noiselessness,
     nonplus, obmutescence, overcome, overmaster, overmatch, overpower,
     overset, overthrow, overturn, overwhelm, pacify, paralyze, parry,
     passing, pauciloquy, peace, peacefulness, pistol, placidity,
     placidness, poleax, pour water on, propitiate, prostrate, put down,
     put out, put to silence, quash, quell, quench, quiescence,
     quiescency, quiet, quieten, quietism, quietness, quietude, quietus,
     rebut, reduce to silence, refute, repose, repress, rest,
     restfulness, restrain, reticence, riddle, satori, secretiveness,
     secretness, send flying, serenity, settle, shoot, shoot down,
     shoot to death, shortness, shotgun, shush, shut down on, shut off,
     shut up, silken repose, sit down on, sit on, sleep, slumber, smash,
     smash all opposition, smother, snuff out, soft-pedal, soothe,
     soundlessness, sparingness of words, speechlessness, squash,
     squelch, stab to death, stamp out, stanch, stifle, still,
     stillness, stone, stone to death, strangle, strike dead,
     strike dumb, stultify, subdue, subvert, suffocate, suppress,
     surmount, taciturnity, temper, terseness, throttle, trample out,
     trample underfoot, tranquillity, trip, trip up, truss up,
     uncommunicativeness, undermine, unloquaciousness, untalkativeness,
     upset, vaporize, wise passiveness, wordlessness
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  SILENCE. The state of a person who does not speak, or of one who refrains 
  from speaking. 
       2. Pure and simple silence cannot be considered as a consent to a 
  contract, except in cases when the silent person is bound in good faith to 
  explain himself, in which case, silence gives consent. 6 Toull. liv. 3, t. 
  3, n. 32, note; 14 Serg. & Rawle, 393; 2 Supp. to Ves. jr. 442; 1 Dane's Ab. 
  c. 1, art. 4, Sec. 3; 8 T. R. 483; 6 Penn. St. R. 336; 1 Greenl. Ev. 201; 2 
  Bouv. Inst. n. 1313. But no assent will be inferred from a man's silence, 
  unless, 1st. He knows his rights and knows what he is doing and, 2d. His 
  silence is voluntary. 
       3. When any person is accused of a crime, or charged with any fact, and 
  he does not deny it, in general, the presumption is very strong that the 
  charge is correct. 7 C. & P. 832 5 C. & P. 332; Joy on Conf. s. 10, p. 77. 
       4. The rule does not extend to the silence of a prisoner, when on his 
  examination before a magistrate he is charged by another prisoner with 
  having joined him in the commission of an offence: 3 Stark. C. 33. 
       5. When an oath is administered to a witness, instead of expressly 
  promising to keep it, he gives his assent by his silence, and kissing the 
  book. 
       6. The person to be affected by the silence must be one not 
  disqualified to act as non compos, an infant, or the like, for even the 
  express promise of such a person would not bind him to the performance of 
  any contract. 
       7. The rule of the civil law is that silence is not an acknowledgment 
  or denial in every case, qui tacet, non utique fatetur: sed tamen verum est, 
  eum non negaro. Dig. 50, 17, 142.