Quiescences

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A phase marked by tranquility and lack of movement is described as quiescence
2. This concept encapsulates a period of stillness or dormancy characterized by quietude
3. A condition where activity or motion is temporarily absent and things remain calm

Etymology: "Quiescences" is simply the plural of "quiescence," a noun meaning a state of rest, stillness or inactivity. The singular is the more interesting part. Its root is the Latin verb "quiesco," meaning "to rest" or "to become quiet," which is built on "quies," "rest" or "quiet." The English noun may have arrived in two ways: as a direct borrowing of Latin "quiescentia," or as a formation in English from the adjective "quiescent" plus the suffix "-ence," the same ending that turns adjectives like "patient" into "patience." The plural is used in the same sense, typically for repeated or separate spells of stillness, as in the quiescences of a volcano between eruptions or of a city after a storm. Because the noun is already abstract, the plural makes it countable, which lets writers speak of several distinct calms rather than one general state.

Synonyms: stillness, inactivity, calmness

Antonyms: activity, movement