quietus
/kwai'i:təs/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. Death, especially when seen as a final release or ending: A euphemistic or literary term for death, often implying a state of final rest or the conclusion of something. 2. Something that ends or settles a matter definitively: An event or action that serves as a final conclusion, termination, or silencing of something.
Usage and Examples
- As a euphemism for death:
- After a long illness, he finally found his quietus.
- The poem speaks of finding quietus from the troubles of life.
- As a definitive end to something:
- The failed product launch was the quietus for the company's ambitious expansion plans.
- Her brilliant rebuttal put the quietus on the rumors once and for all.
Advanced Usage
- "to give (someone/something) its quietus": To be the cause of something's end or demise.
- The scandal gave the politician's career its quietus.
- "to receive/get one's quietus": To meet one's end or to be finally terminated.
- The outdated law finally received its quietus in the latest parliamentary session.
Variants and Related Words
- Quiet (adj): Making little or no noise; calm and peaceful. (Shares the Latin root , meaning "at rest").
- Quiescence (n): A state of inactivity or dormancy.
Synonyms
- Demise: A person's death (formal).
- Passing: A euphemism for death.
- End: The final part of something.
- Termination: The action of bringing something to an end.
Idioms and Phrases
- To put to rest: To settle or finish something conclusively; also a euphemism for killing.
- The new evidence should put these doubts to rest. (Compare with: to give something its quietus).
Noun
- euphemisms for death (based on an analogy between lying in a bed and in a tomb)
- she was laid to rest beside her husband
- they had to put their family pet to sleep