quietude

/ˈkwaɪ.ɪ.t(j)uːd/

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French quiétude, from Late Latin quiētūdō, from Latin quiētus, perfect passive participle of quiēscō (“rest”).

quietude means tranquility. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 78 out of 100.

Why this word is great

QUIETUDE — [Noun] A state of tranquility, stillness, or calm. From the Late Latin quiētūdō ("rest, stillness"), from Latin quiētus ("calm, at rest"), the perfect passive participle of quiēscō ("to rest"). Unlike "serenity," which implies an elevated, untroubled calmness of spirit, or "silence," which denotes a specific absence of sound, quietude is the palpable, inhabitable condition of a world in abeyance. It is the dust motes hanging in a sunbeam in an empty library, the deep, muffled stillness of snowfall at midnight, and the warm weight of a cat asleep in your lap—the feeling of the world, for a suspended moment, having exhaled and settled into its own shape.

noun

tranquility“But the castle was not destined to remain long in its present quietude. One morning Lord Avonleigh received a packet from London, whose contents filled him with joy...”