quiet

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French, from Latin quietus, past participle of quiescere (“to keep quiet, rest”). Doublet of coy and quietus.

• enPR: kwī'ĭt, IPA^(key): /ˈkwaɪ.ɪt/
• (weak vowel merger) enPR: kwī'ət, IPA^(key): /ˈkwaɪ.ət/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪət

quiet (comparative quieter or more quiet, superlative quietest or most quiet)

1. With little or no sound; free of disturbing noise.

   I can't hear the music; it is too quiet.

2. Having little motion or activity; calm.

   the sea was quiet

   a quiet night at home

   all quiet on the Western front

3. Not busy, of low quantity.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 8, in The China Governess‎:

     It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face.

   The traffic was quiet for a Monday morning.

   Business was quiet for the season.

4. Not talking much or not talking loudly; reserved.

   He's a very quiet man usually, but is very chatty after a few beers.

5. Not showy; undemonstrative.

   a quiet dress

   quiet colours

   a quiet movement

6. (software) Requiring little or no interaction.

   a quiet install

• For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:quiet.

• (with little sound): See also Thesaurus:silent
• (having little motion): See also Thesaurus:calm
• (not busy): slow, unbusy
• (not talking): See also Thesaurus:taciturn
• (not showy): modest, plain, simple

• loud
• sounded
• vocal

quiet (third-person singular simple present quiets, present participle quieting, simple past and past participle quieted)

1. To become quiet, silent, still, tranquil, calm.

   When you quiet, we can start talking.

2. To cause someone to become quiet.

   Can you quiet your child? He's making lots of noise.

   The umpire quieted the crowd, so the game could continue in peace.

• (become quiet): quiet down, quieten
• (cause to become quiet): quiet down, quieten

quiet (plural quiets)

1. The absence of sound; quietness.

   There was a strange quiet in the normally very lively plaza.

   We need a bit of quiet before we can start the show.

2. the absence of movement; stillness, tranquility

quiet

1. Be quiet.

   Quiet! The children are sleeping.

• quiet in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• quiet in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• quiet at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “quiet” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.

• quite

First attested 1490. From Latin quietus, in this form probably a borrowing or a semi-learned term; cf. also the Old Catalan form quet, queda, which was likely inherited.

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /kiˈət/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /kiˈɛt/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /kiˈet/

quiet (feminine quieta, masculine plural quiets, feminine plural quietes)

1. calm, stopped
2. quiet

• aturat
• detingut

• quedar

quiet

1. water

• Willem F. H. Adelaar, The Languages of the Andes

Borrowed from Latin quiētus, from quiēs (“rest”). Doublet of coi, which was inherited, and quitte, another borrowing.

• IPA^(key): /kjɛ/

quiet (feminine singular quiète, masculine plural quiets, feminine plural quiètes)

1. (rare, literary, of a person) calm, quiet, peaceful, at ease

Its antonym inquiet is much more common.

• “quiet” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

From Latin quietus.

• IPA^(key): [ˈkjet]

quiet m (feminine singular quieta, masculine plural quiets, feminine plural quietas)

1. calm, stopped
2. quiet

• suau
• tranquil