silence

Where does the word "silence" come from? It comes from Latin silentium, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Silence’s story begins in Latin: silentium meant “silence.” From 'silere', to be quiet. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as silence. Used in monastic rules. It reached English by 1200s as silence. 'silence is golden' dates from the 1800s. Today, silence means complete absence of sound.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient silentium "silence", from 'silere', to be quiet.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval silence "silence", used in monastic rules.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s silence "silence", 'silence is golden' dates from the 1800s.