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].
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. 721; 899; id. And. 399: 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 ( Luc. ), 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. 106: ut doceam Rullum posthac in iis saltem tacere rebus, in quibus de se et de suis factis taceri velit, Cic. Agr. 3, 2, 4.—
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.—
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. 103; 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. 474: 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, ῥητὰ 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.
IV —Hence, tă-cĭtus , a, um, P. a.
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. —
2 Transf.
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.—
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. —
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.—
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.