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).
I Lit.
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.—
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. 778; Cic. Div. in Caecil. 10, 32; Sall. C. 2, 8: usque ab Abraham de justorum aliquorum commemoratione silitum est, Aug. Civ. Dei, 16, 2.—
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.—
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.—
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.—
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.
IX —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.