taciturnity

nounC2Very rare — outside the 30,000 commonest English words, so you will meet it in writing rather than in speech — taciturn sits at #13,366Too rare in one of the two pools to compare — fewer than 20 uses in speech or in writing

Taciturnity is the habit of saying very little. Legendary taciturnity.

It is a settled disposition rather than a mood, which is what the word adds. Taciturnity is read as wisdom or as rudeness depending entirely on the audience.

Definitions of taciturnity

1nountaciturnityThe habit of saying very little.C2
“His taciturnity was famous and occasionally useful.”

taciturnity is a habit.

Where it comes from

Latin taciturnitas, from tacitus, silent, from tacere, to be silent, the root of tacit.

Latin
taciturnitās
Middle English
taciturnite
English, today
taciturnity

From Middle English taciturnite, or alternatively from taciturn + ity; both ultimately from Latin taciturnitās.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

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