silencer
silencer Lexical Profile
silencer Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A tubular acoustic device attached to the barrel of a firearm to reduce the sound and visible flash produced when a shot is fired.
"The forensic technician examined the threading on the barrel to determine whether a silencer had been attached."
British A drum-shaped acoustic device fitted to the exhaust system of a motor vehicle to deaden the noise of the engine.
"The mechanic noticed a rusted hole in the exhaust silencer during the annual vehicle inspection."
A person or thing that reduces noise or suppresses speech and dissent; in genetics, a DNA sequence that binds repressor proteins to inhibit the transcription of a gene.
"Researchers identified a specific genetic silencer that regulates expression of the protein in adult tissues."
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in English from the verb 'silence' and the agent suffix '-er', with the root tracing back to the Latin 'silentium' ('a being silent'). The mechanical acoustic sense emerged in the early 20th century with the invention of acoustic baffling devices for engines and firearms.