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tăcĕo, cŭi, cĭtum, 2, v. n. and a. [etym. dub.; perh. root tak-, tvak-, to be or make quiet, content; Sanscr. tucyati, to satisfy; v. Fick, Vergl. Wört. s. v. § 73; 362].

  1. I. Neutr., to be silent, i. e. not to speak, to say nothing, hold one’s peace (therefore more limited in signif. than silere, to be still, to make no noise): qui dicta loquive tacereve possit, Enn. ap. Gell. 12, 4 (Ann. v. 255 Vahl.); so, tacere ac fabulari, id. ap. Non. 475, 2 (Trag. v. 182 ib.): Ag. Ne obturba ac tace. Mil. Taceo. Ag. Si tacuisses, jam istuc taceo non natum foret, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 49 sq.: silete et tacete, id. ib. prol. 3; cf. id. Capt. 3, 1, 19: taceamne an praedicem, Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 54; 5, 2, 60; id. And. 2, 3, 25: ea lingulaca est nobis, nam numquam tacet, Plaut. Cas. 2, 8, 62: ad loquendum atque ad tacendum tute habeas portisculum, id. As. 3, 1, 15: tacendo loqui videbantur, Cic. Sest. 18, 40: hic Abdera, non tacente me, id. Att. 4, 17, 3 B. and K.: nobis tacentibus, id. Ac. 2, 32, 101: an me taciturum tantis de rebus existimavistis? id. Verr. 1, 9, 27: taceamus, Liv. 40, 9, 5: tacere nondum volumus, Sid. Ep. 8, 16.
    Impers. pass.: taceri si vis, vera dicito, Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 26: ut doceam Rullum posthac in iis saltem tacere rebus, in quibus de se et de suis factis taceri velit, Cic. Agr. 3, 2, 4.
    1. B. Transf., for silere, of animals and things, concr. and abstr., to be still, noiseless, quiet, at rest (mostly poet.): canis ipse tacet, Tib. 2, 4, 34; cf.: vere prius volucres taceant, aestate cicadae, Ov. A. A. 1, 271: nox erat … Cum tacet omnis ager pecudes pictaeque volucres, Verg. A. 4, 525; cf. nox, Cat. 7, 7: nec diu taceat procax locutio, id. 61, 126: non oculi tacuere tui, Ov. Am. 2, 5, 17: plectra dolore tacent; muta dolore lyra est, id. H. 15, 198: tacet stridor litui, Sen. Thyest. 575: essedo tacente, noiseless, Mart. 4, 64, 19: Ister tacens, i. e. standing still, frozen, id. 7, 84, 3: solitudo et tacentes loci, hushed, still, Tac. H. 3, 85: loca tacentia, the under world, the silent land, Verg. A. 6, 265: aquae tacentes, Prop. 4 (5), 4, 49: tacere indolem illam Romanam, i. e. did not show itself, had disappeared, Liv. 9, 6, 12: blanditiae taceant, Ov. Am. 1, 4, 66.
  2. II. Act., to pass over in silence, be silent respecting a thing (rare but class.): et tu hoc taceto, Plaut. Pers. 2, 2, 64: quae vera audivi, taceo et contineo, Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 23; Plaut. Ep. 5, 1, 44: enuntiabo … quod adhuc semper tacui et tacendum putavi, Cic. de Or. 1, 26, 119: quid dixit aut quid tacuit? Hor. Epod. 5, 49: commissa tacere Qui nequit, id. S. 1, 4, 84: ut alios taceam, not to speak of others, Ov. M. 13, 177; so, Narcissum, Verg. G. 4, 123: novercas, Sen. Hippol. 558 et saep.: tacebimus, quid in ipso homine prosit homini? Plin. 28, 1, 1, § 1.
    Pass.: ignotumst, tacitumst, creditumst, Ter. Ad. 3, 4, 28: aureus in medio Marte tacetur Amor, Ov. Am. 2, 18, 36: vir Celtiberis non tacende gentibus, Mart. 1, 50, 1.
    Hence, subst.: tăcenda, ōrum, n., things not to be uttered: dicenda tacenda locutus, ῤητὰ καὶ ἄρρητα, things fit and unfit to be spoken, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 72; cf.: gravis est culpa tacenda loqui, Ov. A. A. 2, 604.
    Hence, tă-cĭtus, a, um, P. a.
    1. A. Pass., that is passed over in silence, not spoken of, kept secret, unmentioned: prima duo capita epistulae tuae tacita mihi quodammodo relinquenda sunt, Cic. Fam. 3, 8, 2: aliquid tacitum tenere, id. de Or. 3, 17, 64; cf.: quod cum ab antiquis tacitum praetermissumque sit, Liv. 6, 12, 3; Verg. A. 6, 841: tacitum erit, Plaut. Pers. 2, 2, 64: suspendas potins me, quam tacita tu haec auferas, i. e. without my speaking of it, uncontradicted by me, id. As. 4, 2, 7; cf.: cetera si reprehenderis, non feres tacitum, Cic. Att. 2, 3, 2: ne id quidem ab Turno tulisse tacitum ferunt: dixisse enim, etc., Liv. 1, 50, 9; so, too, tacitum ferre. id. 3, 45, 6: non patientibus tacitum tribunis, quod, etc., id. 7, 1, 5: tacere nequeo misera, quod tacito usus est, silence, Plaut. Cist. 1, 2, 7.
      1. 2. Transf.
        1. a. In jurid. lang., that is done without words, assumed as a matter of course, silent, implied, tacit: non omnia scriptis, sed quaedam, quae perspicua sint, tacitis exceptionibus caveri, Cic. Inv. 2, 47, 140: conventio, Dig. 20, 2, 3: condicio, ib. 23, 3, 68: jus, ib. 29, 2, 66: substitutio, ib. 28, 5, 25: indutiae, Liv. 2, 18; 2, 64; 23, 46: fideicommissum, Quint. 9, 2, 74.
        2. b. That is done or exists in silence; silent, secret, hidden, concealed: senatus decrevit, ut tacitum judicium ante comitia fierit, Cic. Att. 4, 17, 3 Bait.: aures ipsae tacito eum (modum) sensu sine arte definiunt, id. Or. 60, 203: omnes enim tacito quodam sensu sine ullā arte aut ratione quae sint … recta ac prava dijudicant, id. de Or. 3, 50, 195: ob tacitas cum Marcello offensiones, Vell. 2, 93, 2: tacitum vivit sub pectore vulnus, Verg. A. 4, 67; so, affectus, Ov. M. 7, 147: pudor, id. ib. 7, 743: ira, id. ib. 6, 623: dissimulare sperasti, tacitusque meā decedere terrā, secretly, unobserved, Verg. A. 4, 306.
          Subst.: tăcĭtum, i, n., a secret: taciti vulgator, Ov. Am. 3, 7, 51.
    2. B. Act. or neutr., that does not speak, not uttering a sound, silent, still, quiet, noiseless, mute: quod boni est, id tacitus taceas tute tecum et gaudeas, Plaut. Ep. 5, 1, 44: tacitus tace modo, id. Poen. 4, 2, 84: mulier, id. Rud. 4, 4, 70; cf.: lacrumans tacitus auscultabat, quae ego loquebar, id. Bacch. 4, 9, 59: quid exspectas auctoritatem loquentium, quorum voluntatem tacitorum perspicis? Cic. Cat. 1, 8, 20; 3, 11, 26: vos me jam hoc tacito intellegetis, id. Verr. 2, 2, 73, § 180: quae (patria) tecum tacita loquitur, id. Cat. 1, 7, 18: voluntas; quae si tacitis nobis intellegi posset, verbis omnino non uteremur, id. Caecin. 18, 53; id. Verr. 2, 3, 16, § 41: nihil me mutum delectare potest, nihil tacitum, id. Cat. 3, 11, 26: si quam conjecturam adfert hominibus tacita corporis figura, id. Rosc. Com. 7, 20: tacita vestra exspectatio, id. Clu. 23, 63: assensiones nec tacitae nec occultae, implied, tacit, id. Mil. 5, 12: si mori tacitum oportet, taceamus, i. e. without making a defence, Liv. 40, 9, 5: contumeliam tacitus tulit, id. 35, 19, 1: ut forte legentem Aut tacitum impellat, i. e. meditating, Hor. S. 1, 3, 65: pro sollicitis non tacitus reis, eloquent, outspoken, id. C. 4, 1, 14: tacitus pasci si posset corvus, id. Ep. 1, 17, 50: tacitā fistula cum lyrā, id. C. 3, 19, 20: totum pererrat Luminibus tacitis, with silent glances, Verg. A. 4, 364: fulmen, i. e. without thunder, Luc. 1, 533 et saep.: per tacitum nemus ire, still, silent, quiet, Verg. A. 6, 386; so, unda, id. ib. 8, 87: caelum, id. ib. 3, 515: aër, Mart. 8, 32, 1: domus, id. 9, 62, 12: limen, Verg. A. 7, 343: nox, Ov. H. 18, 78; id. F. 2, 552.
      Subst.: tăcĭtum, i, n., silence: septem surgens sedatis amnibus altus Per tacitum Ganges, in its silent course, flowing silently, Verg. A. 9, 31; cf.: trahitur Gangesque Padusque Per tacitum mundi, i. e. through subterranean passages, Luc. 10, 253: somnus per tacitum allapsus, silently, in silence, Sil. 10, 354: erumpunt sub casside fusae Per tacitum lacrimae, id. 12, 554; 17, 216.
    3. C. As proper name: Tă-cĭta, ae, f., = Muta, the goddess of Silence: ecce anus in mediis residens annosa puellis Sacra facit Tacitae, Ov. F. 2, 572; v. also 2. Tacitus.
      Adv.: tăcĭtē, silently, in silence, secretly (class.): auscultemus, Plaut. As. 3, 2, 42: tacite rogare, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 5, 13: tacite dat ipsa lex potestatem defendendi, id. Mil. 4, 11: perire tacite obscureque, id. Quint. 15, 50: non tulit verecundiam senatus, Liv. 5, 28, 1: exsecrari praetereuntem, id. 2, 58, 8: annus labens, Ov. F. 1, 65; Just. 15, 2; Plin. Ep. 5, 17, 2; Val. Max. 6, 5, 2.

1. tăcĭtus, a, um, Part. and P. a. of taceo.

2. Tăcĭtus, i, m. [v. taceo, P. a., C.], a Roman proper name; esp.,

  1. I. Cornelius Tacitus, the greatest Roman historian of the imperial epoch, born between A. D. 50 and A. D. 60; flourished under Trajan, and was a friend of the younger Pliny, Plin. Ep. 2, 1, 6; 2, 11, 2; Sid. Ep. 4, 14; 4, 22.
  2. II. M. Claudius Tacitus, Roman emperor A. D. 275, Vop. Tac. 1 sqq.; Eutr. 9, 16; Aur. Vict. Caes. 36.