"stillness" meaning in English

See stillness in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈstɪlnəs/ Forms: stillnesses [plural]
Rhymes: -ɪlnəs Etymology: From Middle English stilnesse, from Old English stilnes (“stillness, quiet; absence of noise or disturbance, release, relaxation; silence, abstention from speech; absence of disturbance or molestation, tranquility, peace, security; that which appeases”), equivalent to still + -ness. Etymology templates: {{root|en|ine-pro|*(s)telH-}}, {{inh|en|enm|stilnesse}} Middle English stilnesse, {{inh|en|ang|stilnes|t=stillness, quiet; absence of noise or disturbance, release, relaxation; silence, abstention from speech; absence of disturbance or molestation, tranquility, peace, security; that which appeases}} Old English stilnes (“stillness, quiet; absence of noise or disturbance, release, relaxation; silence, abstention from speech; absence of disturbance or molestation, tranquility, peace, security; that which appeases”), {{af|en|still|-ness}} still + -ness Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} stillness (countable and uncountable, plural stillnesses)
  1. The quality or state of being still. Tags: countable, uncountable Synonyms: calmness, motionlessness, inactivity, inertia Translations (quality or state of being still): ἡσυχία (hēsukhía) [feminine] (Ancient Greek), тишина (tišina) [feminine] (Bulgarian), спокойствие (spokojstvie) [neuter] (Bulgarian), calma [feminine] (Catalan), klid [masculine] (Czech), senmoveco (Esperanto), calme [masculine] (French), immobilité [feminine] (French), Stille [feminine] (German), immobilità [feminine] (Italian), നിശ്ചലത (niścalata) (Malayalam), stillhet [common-gender] (Swedish), llonyddwch (Welsh)
    Sense id: en-stillness-en-noun-ympCIhRC Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -ness, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Ancient Greek translations, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Catalan translations, Terms with Czech translations, Terms with Esperanto translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Malayalam translations, Terms with Swedish translations, Terms with Welsh translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 87 13 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -ness: 86 14 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 93 7 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 91 9 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 94 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Ancient Greek translations: 82 18 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 88 12 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 87 13 Disambiguation of Terms with Czech translations: 83 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Esperanto translations: 89 11 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 87 13 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 88 12 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 89 11 Disambiguation of Terms with Malayalam translations: 89 11 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 88 12 Disambiguation of Terms with Welsh translations: 87 13 Disambiguation of 'quality or state of being still': 99 1
  2. Habitual silence or quiet; taciturnity. Tags: countable, uncountable Synonyms: quietness, silence
    Sense id: en-stillness-en-noun-28pls4mM
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: stillnesse [obsolete]

Inflected forms

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  "etymology_text": "From Middle English stilnesse, from Old English stilnes (“stillness, quiet; absence of noise or disturbance, release, relaxation; silence, abstention from speech; absence of disturbance or molestation, tranquility, peace, security; that which appeases”), equivalent to still + -ness.",
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          "_dis": "87 13",
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          "ref": "1839, Charles Darwin, Journal and remarks: 1832-1836, volume 3, page 133:",
          "text": "The teru-tero (Vanellus cayanensis), is another bird, which often disturbs the stillness of the night.",
          "type": "quote"
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          "ref": "1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, published 1959, →OCLC:",
          "text": "It resembled them in the sense that it was not ended, when it was past, but continued to unfold, in Watt's head, from beginning to end, over and over again, the complex connexions of its lights and shadows, the passing from silence to sound and from sound to silence, the stillness before the movement and the stillness after, the quickenings and retardings, the approaches and the separations, all the shifting detail of its march and ordinance, according to the irrevocable caprice of its taking place.",
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      "glosses": [
        "The quality or state of being still."
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      "id": "en-stillness-en-noun-ympCIhRC",
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          "word": "motionlessness"
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          "word": "inactivity"
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          "word": "inertia"
        }
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          "_dis1": "99 1",
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          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "tišina",
          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "тишина"
        },
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          "_dis1": "99 1",
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          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "spokojstvie",
          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
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          ],
          "word": "спокойствие"
        },
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          "_dis1": "99 1",
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          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "calma"
        },
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          "_dis1": "99 1",
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          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
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          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
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          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
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          "word": "calme"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "immobilité"
        },
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          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Stille"
        },
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          "_dis1": "99 1",
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          "lang": "Ancient Greek",
          "roman": "hēsukhía",
          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "ἡσυχία"
        },
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          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "it",
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          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
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            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "immobilità"
        },
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          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ml",
          "lang": "Malayalam",
          "roman": "niścalata",
          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
          "word": "നിശ്ചലത"
        },
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          "_dis1": "99 1",
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          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
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        },
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          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "quality or state of being still",
          "word": "llonyddwch"
        }
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          "ref": "c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], page 320:",
          "text": "The grauitie, and ſtillneſſe of your youth / The world hath noted.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1977, Stevie Nicks (lyrics and music), “Dreams”, in Rumours, performed by Fleetwood Mac:",
          "text": "Like a heartbeat drives you mad / In the stillness of remembering what you had / And what you lost",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
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        "Habitual silence or quiet; taciturnity."
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      "ipa": "/ˈstɪlnəs/"
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      "rhymes": "-ɪlnəs"
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      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
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      "word": "stillnesse"
    }
  ],
  "word": "stillness"
}
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
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          "ref": "1839, Charles Darwin, Journal and remarks: 1832-1836, volume 3, page 133:",
          "text": "The teru-tero (Vanellus cayanensis), is another bird, which often disturbs the stillness of the night.",
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        {
          "ref": "1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, published 1959, →OCLC:",
          "text": "It resembled them in the sense that it was not ended, when it was past, but continued to unfold, in Watt's head, from beginning to end, over and over again, the complex connexions of its lights and shadows, the passing from silence to sound and from sound to silence, the stillness before the movement and the stillness after, the quickenings and retardings, the approaches and the separations, all the shifting detail of its march and ordinance, according to the irrevocable caprice of its taking place.",
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        "The quality or state of being still."
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          "ref": "1977, Stevie Nicks (lyrics and music), “Dreams”, in Rumours, performed by Fleetwood Mac:",
          "text": "Like a heartbeat drives you mad / In the stillness of remembering what you had / And what you lost",
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          "quiet",
          "quiet"
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        ]
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      "word": "stillnesse"
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    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "tišina",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "тишина"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "spokojstvie",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "tags": [
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      ],
      "word": "спокойствие"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "calma"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "klid"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "word": "senmoveco"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "calme"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "immobilité"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Stille"
    },
    {
      "code": "grc",
      "lang": "Ancient Greek",
      "roman": "hēsukhía",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "ἡσυχία"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "immobilità"
    },
    {
      "code": "ml",
      "lang": "Malayalam",
      "roman": "niścalata",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "word": "നിശ്ചലത"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "stillhet"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "quality or state of being still",
      "word": "llonyddwch"
    }
  ],
  "word": "stillness"
}

Download raw JSONL data for stillness meaning in English (6.2kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-20 using wiktextract (c15a5ce and 5c11237). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.