Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Quiet, still, or inactive. synonym: inactive.
  • adjective Characterized by an absence of upheaval or discord.
  • adjective Astronomy Having little or no sunspot activity.
  • adjective Medicine Asymptomatic.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Resting; being in a state of repose; still; not moving: as, a quiescent body or fluid.
  • In philology, silent; not sounded; having no sound: as, a quiescent letter.
  • In biology, physiologically inactive or motionless; resting, as an insect in the chrysalis state, or an encysted amœba.
  • noun In philology, a silent letter.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Gram.) A silent letter.
  • adjective Being in a state of repose; at rest; still; not moving.
  • adjective Not ruffed with passion; unagitated; not in action; not excited; quiet; dormant; resting.
  • adjective (Gram.) Not sounded; silent.”

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Inactive, at rest, quiet.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective (pathology) causing no symptoms
  • adjective not active or activated
  • adjective being quiet or still or inactive
  • adjective marked by a state of tranquil repose

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin quiēscēns, quiēscent-, present participle of quiēscere, to rest, from quiēs, quiet; see quiet.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin quiescens, present participle of quiescere, from quies

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Examples

  • So - how long will the people of Azerbaijan remain quiescent?

    Global Voices in English » Azerbaijan: Reaction to Hajizade-Milli trial 2009

  • So – how long will the people of Azerbaijan remain quiescent?

    Global Voices in English » Azerbaijan: Detained video bloggers go on trial 2009

  • It can be challenging for therapy to kill nondividing cells sometimes referred to as quiescent cells.

    Salmonella Is Tested 2008

  • In summary, our findings suggest that the Cdk4-p16Ink4a pathway regulates the long-term quiescent state of β-cells within islets and of potential progenitors within the pancreatic ductal epithelium (

    PLoS ONE Alerts: New Articles 2010

  • In summary, our findings suggest that the Cdk4-p16Ink4a pathway regulates the long-term quiescent state of β-cells within islets and of potential progenitors within the pancreatic ductal epithelium (

    PLoS ONE Alerts: New Articles Ji-Hyeon Lee et al. 2010

  • In both sexes, organs up to this time quiescent, that is, as to any functional action, take on rapidly an independent life, assert their own character, and take up their peculiar work.

    The Education of American Girls Anna Callender Brackett

  • The unpointed consonant-text can be made essentially clearer by writing "plene", i.e., by using the so-called quiescent letters (matres lectionis).

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 14: Simony-Tournon 1840-1916 1913

  • Twice she attempted to rise and interrupt him, but Sir Roger Kirkpatrick having fixed his eyes on her with a menacing determination to prevent her, she found herself obliged to remain quiescent.

    The Scottish Chiefs 1875

  • She lay absolutely crushed, in a kind of quiescent hysterics, tortured.

    The Plumed Serpent 2003

  • No one was surprised to see the Mother Superior in the cloister so early, for she was often the first to rise and almost always the last to go to rest; the novices said that the little white volcano never slept at all, but was only 'quiescent' during a part of the night.

    The White Sister 1881

Comments

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  • This is such a romantic word. I think sometimes people use it too much :(

    October 9, 2011

  • The body grew quiescent, receptive—a chrysalis, not dead, but reviving, curling into a further acceptance of the same process, the same physical position.

    Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher, Sister Age

    November 23, 2011