quiescent
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of quiescent
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin quiēscent- (stem of quiēscēns, present participle of quiēscere ), equivalent to qui-, base meaning “rest, quiet” + -ēsc- inchoative suffix + -ent- -ent
Explanation
The adjective quiescent means "being quiet and still," like the quiescent moments lying in a hammock on a beautiful summer Sunday. To be quiescent, pronounced "qwhy-ESS-ent," is to be quiet, resting, which is exactly what its Latin origin quiescens means: In our busy world, it is hard to find a place to be quiescent. It has a second meaning: "causing no symptoms." For example, if a disease is quiescent, you probably won't know you have it. And finally, quiescent can mean "not activated," like quiescent cleaning products that don't get the stains out.
Vocabulary lists containing quiescent
Mellow Out: Synonyms for "Calm"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
40 SAT words Beginning with "Q"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Shhhh! Synonyms for "Quiet"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They then cross-matched the findings with a catalog of 2.4 million quiescent galaxies compiled over recent decades by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
From Science Magazine • Jun. 17, 2024
Grossniklaus' team has now shown that the quiescent egg cell is also in this phase.
From Science Daily • Feb. 15, 2024
Vesuvius’s importance, too, seems to have waned: the volcano has been quiescent since 1944.
From Scientific American • Aug. 16, 2023
"The risk metrics that look quiescent and favoring idiosyncrasy may in fact be a chimera much more vulnerable to a macro shock than implied currently," said Arnim Holzer, global macro strategist at EAB Investment Group.
From Reuters • Jul. 5, 2023
It was the only way to keep them quiescent.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
