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The Disciplines of Abstinence: Silence & Solitude
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Silence
n. Silence 1. The condition or quality of being or keeping still and silent. 2. The absence of sound; stillness. 3. A period of time without speech or noise. 4. Refusal or failure to speak out.v. tr. si·lenced, si·lenc·ing, si·lenc·es 1. To make silent or bring to silence: silenced the crowd with a gesture. 2. To curtail the expression of; suppress: silencing all criticism; silenced their opponents.[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin silentium, from silēns, silent-, present participle of silēre, to be silent.]The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth EditionCopyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Word Origin & Historysilence (n.)c.1225, from O.Fr. silence "absence of sound," from L. silentium "a being silent," from silens, prp. of silere "be quiet or still," of unknown origin. Replaced O.E. swige. The verb (trans.) is attested from 1597, from the noun. Silencer "mechanism that stifles the sound of a motor or firearm" first recorded 1898.Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas HarperCite This Source
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poeftomo
Solitude
–noun1. the state of being or living alone; seclusion: to enjoy one's solitude.2. remoteness from habitations, as of a place; absence of human activity: the solitude of the mountains.3. a lonely, unfrequented place: a solitude in the mountains.Synonyms:1. retirement, privacy. Solitude, isolation refer to a state of being or living alone. Solitude emphasizes the quality of being or feeling lonely and deserted: to live in solitude. Isolation may mean merely a detachment and separation from others: to be put in isolation with an infectious disease. 2. loneliness. 3. desert, wilderness.
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poeftomo
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