Voicelessness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being devoid of vocal sound or expression encompasses both the inability to speak and the absence of articulate communication
2. The state of lacking any vocal sound or spoken articulation
3. A condition characterized by the nonexistence of speech or vocal expression

Etymology: "Voicelessness" is a plain English compound with no dramatic backstory, so its story lies in its two parts. The first, "voice," came into English through Anglo-Norman "voiz" from Latin "vōcem," the accusative of "vōx," meaning "voice" or "sound." The second, "-less," is a native English suffix from Old English "-lēas," meaning "lacking" or "without," which gives "voiceless" the sense of being without a voice. The final ending, "-ness," is also native. It descends from Old English "-nes" and turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state, so "voicelessness" names the condition of being voiceless. Its own shape rests on that ancient suffix, which has been attaching itself to adjectives since the Old English period.

Synonyms: silence, muteness

Antonyms: voice, expressiveness