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tacit

TASS-it · adjective

LatinMiddle FrenchEnglish

Origin

Tacit comes from late Middle French tacite, or directly from Latin tacitus, meaning "passed over in silence" or "assumed as a matter of course." That Latin word traces back to the verb tacere, "to be silent."

Journey

The word entered English carrying its Latin sense intact — something understood without being stated — and that meaning has held steady ever since.

Related words

The facts here only trace tacit back to Latin tacere, "to be silent" — no other English cognate is given to connect it to.

More words

From Middle French

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