quietus

[kwahy-ee-tuhs]

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.

quietus

/ -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

Word History and Origins

Origin of quietus¹

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.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of quietus¹

C16: from Latin quiētus est, literally: he is at rest, _quiet

Example Sentences

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

Read more on Washington Times

Instead, it was a much quicker quietus after 19.

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"Whom would fardels bear under such a weary and long life.... when he could his quietus make with a bare bodkin?"

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

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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.

Read more on The New Yorker

Related Words

• death 
• decease 
• dying