Conticent

/ˈkɒntɪsənt/ adjective

Definition

Silent or still; keeping quiet or holding one's peace.

Etymology

From Latin 'conticent-' (present participle of conticere), formed from 'con-' (together) + 'ticere' (to be silent). The root is related to 'tacit' and 'taciturn', all sharing the concept of silence.

Kelly Says

This word is the ancestor of our modern 'tacit' and 'taciturn'—it's like finding a fossil that shows how Romans and English speakers both obsessed over different *kinds* of silence: conticent means peacefully quiet, while taciturn means reluctantly quiet!

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