Quieter

How to spell quieter

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce quieter

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does quieter mean?

1. adjectiveComparative of quiet: making or having less noise, or being more calm and still than something else.

Quieter in a sentence

• The new dishwasher is much quieter than the old one.

• The suburbs are quieter than the city centre at night.

Where does quieter come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the comparative form of the adjective 'quiet', which English took from the Latin quietus, meaning 'at rest', 'calm', or 'undisturbed'. That Latin word was the past participle of quiescere, 'to grow calm' or 'to rest', built on the root quies, meaning 'rest' or 'repose'. English borrowed 'quiet' through Old French during the 1300s, at first describing freedom from disturbance or trouble before settling into its modern sense of low sound or stillness. The same quies root sits behind several familiar relatives, including 'acquiesce', 'tranquil', and even 'requiem', a Mass said for the rest of the dead. The comparative simply adds the regular '-er', and the only real spelling trap is keeping the silent-feeling 'e' of 'quiet' before the ending rather than dropping it.

How the word is built

• quiet (from Latin quietus: at rest)
• -er (comparative suffix)