Meaning

adjective marked by absence of sound

adjective failing to speak or communicate etc when expected to

adjective implied by or inferred from actions or statements

originFrom Latin silēns (“silent”), present participle of sileō (“be silent”), from Proto-Indo-European *seyl- (“still, windless, quiet, slow”). Related to Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌽 (anasilan, “to cease, grow still, be silent”), Old English sālnes (“silence”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0