quietus

American  

[kwahy-ee-tuhs] / kwaɪˈi təs /

noun

plural

quietuses

1. a finishing stroke; anything that effectually ends or settles.

   Having given a quietus to the argument, she left.

2. discharge or release from life.

3. a period of retirement or inactivity.

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quietus British  

/ -ˈeɪtəs, kwaɪˈiːtəs /

noun

1. anything that serves to quash, eliminate, or kill

   to give the quietus to a rumour

2. a release from life; death

3. the discharge or settlement of debts, duties, etc

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Etymology

Origin of quietus

1530–40; < Medieval Latin quiētus quit (in quiētus est (he) is quit, a formula of acquittance), Latin: (he) is quiet, at rest ( quiet ); quit ¹ (adj.)

Example Sentences

Kg5, and now, with both Black rooks hanging, a simple king move delivers the quietus.

From Washington Times

Instead, it was a much quicker quietus after 19.

From Washington Times

What’s most disheartening is how unspectacular a quietus it turns out to be.

From The New Yorker

Last night also put the quietus to that numbing “small ball” we kept hearing from the game announcers all summer, in a season dominated by enormous heat-radiating relievers and resulting low scores and shrivelled offense.

From The New Yorker

The third section of Levels of Life is literally self-mortifying, as Barnes imagines a scenario for suicide and selects the sharp Japanese knife that might bring about his quietus.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• death
• decease
• dying