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sĭlentĭum, ii, n. [sileo].

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen., a being still or silent, noiselessness, stillness, silence (freq. and class.; cf. taciturnitas): otium et silentium est, Ter. Hec. prol. alt. 35: et ipse conticuit et ceteris silentium fuit, Cic. de Or. 3, 35, 143; cf. id. ib. 1, 35, 160; id. Rep. 2, 38, 64: auditus est magno silentio, id. Q. Fr. 2, 1, 1: silentio auditus, Caes. B. C. 3, 19, 3: huic facietis Fabulae silentium, Plaut. Am. prol. 15: fac silentium, id. Pers. 4, 3, 50; cf. Cic. Div. 1, 28, 59: nec longa silentia feci, kept silence, Ov. F. 1, 183: silentio facto, silence being obtained, Quadrig. ap. Gell. 9, 13, 10; Liv. 24, 7 fin.; Petr. 14 fin.; Quint. 2, 5, 6 al.; also with the signif. to make or procure silence: Fabius cum silentium classico fecisset, Liv. 2, 45; Tac. H. 3, 20; Curt. 10, 6, 3; Phaedr. 5, 5, 15: facere silentia majestate manūs, Pers. 4, 7: tribuni plebis, cum inviti silentium tenuissent, Liv. 5, 9, 4; so, tenere silentium, id. 1, 16, 2; 1, 28, 8; 9, 38, 14: silentium obtinere, id. 1, 16, 2; cf.: obstinatum silentium obtinuit, id. 9, 38, 14: tenuere silentia cuncti, Ov. M. 1, 206: se silentium fieri jussisse, Cic. Div. 1, 28, 59; Luc. 1, 298: silentium imperare, Sen. Vit. Beat. 26, 7; Tac. G. 11: silentium significare, to give a signal for silence, Cic. Brut. 84, 290: cum silentio animadvertite, Ter. Eun. prol. 44: Athenienses cum silentio auditi sunt, Liv. 38, 10, 4: cum silentio ad aliquem convenire, id. 7, 35, 1; so, cum silentio, id. 25, 9, 15: agere per silentium, Ter. Heaut. prol. 36; cf. id. Hec. prol. alt. 21; id. Phorm. prol. 30: per silentium noctis, Liv. 3, 42, 3; Tac. A. 4, 53; id. Agr. 3: ego illas omnes res egi silentio, Cic. Prov. Cons. 12, 29; cf.: ut nulla fere pars orationis silentio praeteriretur, in silence, without applause, id. Brut. 22, 88; more freq.: praeterire silentio, to pass over in silence, to say nothing about, id. Sull. 21, 62; id. Part. Or. 23, 82; id. Phil. 13, 6 Orell. N. cr.; Plin. Ep. 5, 20, 6; for which: silentio transire, Cic. Att. 2, 19, 3; Quint. 2, 3, 1; 5, 12, 23: periculosissimum locum silentio sum praetervectus, Cic. Phil. 7, 3, 8: transmittere aliquem, Tac. A. 1, 13 fin. al.; cf.: cum M. Tullius de omnibus (oratoribus) aetatis suae silentium egerit, keeps silence, is silent, Quint. 10, 1, 38: tenere se intra silentium, Plin. Ep. 4, 17, 8; 7, 6, 6: de Partho silentium est, nothing is said, Cic. Att. 5, 16, 4: ut laudem eorum a silentio vindicarem, i. e. obscurity, id. de Or. 2, 2, 7; Sen. Ep. 21, 5; Plin. Ep. 9, 14, 1: gravissimas plagas ferre silentio, Cic. Tusc. 2, 20, 46: quam maximum silentium haberi jubet, Sall. J. 99, 1: lacrimae omnibus obortae, et diu maestum silentium tenuit, prevailed, Liv. 40, 8, 20.
      Poet.: fer opem furtoque silentia deme, remove silence from, i. e. tell of, disclose, Ov. M. 2, 700.
      Of the stillness, silence, dead of night: silentio noctis Caesar ex castris egressus, Caes. B. G. 7, 36: in silentio noctis, id. ib. 7, 26; cf.: se vocem noctis silentio audisse clariorem humanā, Liv. 5, 32: paulo ante mediam noctem silentio ex oppido egressi, Caes. B. G. 7, 11; cf. id. ib. 7, 18; 7, 60; Liv. 8, 23, 9, 38.
      Poet., in plur.: silentia noctis, Lucr. 4, 461; Stat. Th. 1, 441: quid me alta silentia cogis Rumpere, Verg. A. 10, 63; Ov. M. 7, 184: taciturna silentia, Lucr. 4, 585: torquent illum furibunda silentia, Stat. Th. 10, 890.
      The stillness, quietness of the fields: nactus silentia ruris, Ov. M. 1, 232; cf.: vidit desolatas agere alta silentia terras, id. ib. 1, 349.
      Of wood that makes no noise, does not snap, Plin. 16, 16, 28, § 70.
    2. B. In partic., in augural lang., freedom from disturbance; hence, faultlessness, perfectness in the taking of auspices: id silentium dicimus in auspiciis, quod omni vitio caret, etc., Cic. Div. 2, 34, 71; cf. Fest. p. 348 Müll.; s. v. sinistrum, p. 351 ib.; and v. Becker, Antiq. vol. 2, pars 3, p. 76 sq.
  2. II. Transf., a standstill (opp. to motion or activity); cessation, repose, inaction, tranquillity, etc. (rare but class.): mundus caeli vastus constitit silentio, Enn. ap. Macr. 6, 2 med.: silentium perpetuum judiciorum ac fori, Cic. Pis. 14, 32; cf. Tac. Agr. 39: vitam silentio transire, Sall. C. 1, 1: silentium otiumque inter armatos, Liv. 2, 45: biduum deinde silentium fuit neutris transgredientibus amnem, id. 37, 38: idem praeturae tenor et silentium, Tac. Agr. 6: quantum distant a morte silentia vitae? Sil. 3, 145.

sĭlentus, a, um, adj. [sileo], silent, quiet: loca, Laev. ap. Gell. 19, 7, 7.

sĭlĕo, ŭi (perf. pass. silitum est, Aug. Civ. Dei, 16, 2), 2, v. n. and a. [cf. Goth. silan, ana-silan, to be silent; Germ. seltsam, selten], to be noiseless, still, or silent, to keep silence; act., not to speak of, to keep silent respecting a thing (class.; stronger than tacere).

  1. I. Lit.
          1. (α) Absol.: silete et tacete atque animum advortite, Plaut. Poen. prol. 3; id. Capt. 3, 1, 20: optimum quemque silere, Liv. 39, 27 fin.: muta silet virgo, Ov. M. 10, 389: lingua, sile, id. P. 2, 2, 61: sedentibus ac silentibus cunctis, Suet. Claud. 21: obstrepentes forte ranas silere jussit, id. Aug. 94.
          2. (β) With de: cum ceteri de nobis silent, Cic. Sull. 29, 80: de dracone silet, id. Div. 2, 30, 65: de re publicā ut sileremus, id. Brut. 42, 157; cf. id. ib. 76, 266; cf. Fabri ad Sall. J. 19, 2.
            Impers. pass.: de jurgio siletur, Ter. Phorm. 5, 2, 13; Cic. Div. in Caecil. 10, 32; Sall. C. 2, 8: usque ab Abraham de justorum aliquorum commemoratione silitum est, Aug. Civ. Dei, 16, 2.
          3. (γ) With acc.: quae hoc tempore sileret omnia, Cic. Clu. 6, 18: tu hoc silebis, id. Att. 2, 18, 3: neque te silebo, Liber, Hor. C. 1, 12, 21; cf. id. ib. 4, 9, 31: fortia facta, Ov. M. 12, 575: alium silere quod voles, Sen. Hippol. 876: nulla me tellus silet, id. Herc. Oet. 39; cf.: facti culpa silenda mihi, Ov. Tr. 2, 208.
            Pass.: ea res siletur, Cic. Fl. 3, 6: quod ego praetermitto et facile patior sileri, id. Cat. 1, 6, 14: ne nunc quidem post tot saecula sileantur, Liv. 27, 10, 7: per quem tria verba silentur, Ov. F. 1, 47: mala causa silenda est, id. P. 3, 1, 147: quisquis ille, sileatur, Plin. Ep. 8, 22, 4; cf. Tac. Agr. 41.
            Part. pass. as subst.: sĭlenda, ōrum, mysteries, secrets, Liv. 39, 10, 5; cf. Curt. 6, 25, 3.
          4. (δ) With rel.clause: quā tulerit mercede, silet, Ov. M. 7, 688.
            * (ε) With obj.-clause: ut sileat verbum facere, Auct. B. Hisp. 3, 7.
      1. 2. Of things (mostly poet.): intempesta silet nox, Verg. G. 1, 247: silet aequor, id. E. 9, 57: mare, Val. Fl. 7, 542: immotae frondes, Ov. M. 7, 187: umidus aër, id. ib.: aura, Col. 2, 21, 5: venti, id. 12, 25, 4: tranquillo silet immotāque attollitur undā Campus, Verg. A. 5, 127; cf.: silent late loca, id. ib. 9, 190: tempus erat quo cuncta silent, Ov. M. 10, 446; cf. also infra P. a.
        Act.:         si chartae sileant quod bene feceris, Hor. C. 4, 8, 21.
  2. II. Transf., to be still or quiet (opp. to being in action), to remain inactive, to rest, cease (in class. prose, for the most part only of things; cf. quiesco): et cycnea mele Phoebeaque Carmina consimili ratione oppressa silerent, Lucr. 2, 506: silent diutius Musae Varronis quam solebant, Cic. Ac. 1, 1, 2: silent leges inter arma, id. Mil. 4, 10: si quando ambitus sileat, id. Leg. 3, 17, 39: ne sileret sine fabulis hilaritas, Petr. 110, 6.
    Of persons: fixaque silet Gradivus in hastā, Val. Fl. 4, 281: nec ceterae nationes silebant (with arma movere), Tac. H. 3, 47.
    Hence, sĭlens, entis (abl. silente; but -ti, Liv. 23, 35, 18 al.; Ov. M. 4, 84; neutr. plur. silenta loca, Laev. ap. Gell. 19, 7, 7; gen. plur. (poet.) silentum, Verg. A. 6, 432; Ov. M. 5, 356 al.), P. a., still, calm, quiet, silent: nocte silenti, Ov. M. 4, 84; Verg. A. 4, 527: silenti nocte, Liv. 26, 5, 9; Petr. poët. 89, 2, 32: silente nocte, Tib. 1, 5, 16: silente caelo, Plin. 18, 28, 69, § 279: silenti agmine ducam vos, Liv. 25, 38; so, silenti agmine, id. 31, 38 fin.; 35, 4: per lucos silentes, Verg. G. 1, 476: vultu defixus uterque silenti, Val. Fl. 7, 407: umbrae silentes, i. e. the dead, Verg. A. 6, 264; called populus silens, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 2, 237; more freq. as subst.: sĭlentes, um, comm., the dead: umbrae silentum, Ov. M. 15, 797; so, rex silentum, id. ib. 5, 356: sedes, id. ib. 15, 772; Val. Fl. 1, 750; cf.: Aeacus jura silentibus illic Reddit, Ov. M. 13, 25.
    The Pythagoreans were also called Silentes for the five years during which they were to listen to the instructions of Pythagoras: coetus silentum, Ov. M. 15, 66; hence, silentes anni, these five years of the Pythagoreans, Claud. Cons. Mall. Theod. 157: luna silenti, not shining, i. e. at the end of the month, Cato, R. R. 29; 40; 50; Col. 2, 10, 11; cf. Plin. 16, 39, 74, § 190: sarmentum, not yet shooting forth, Col. 4, 29, 1: vineae, id. 4, 27, 1: surculi, id. 11, 2, 26: flos, id. 12, 7, 1: ova, in which the chicks do not yet move, id. 8, 5, 15.
    With ab: dies silens a ventis, Col. 4, 29, 5.
    Hence, adv.: sĭlenter, silently, Juvenc. 3, 462; Vulg. 1, Reg. 24, 5.