quietus

noun /kwaɪˈiːtəs/

1. A stillness or pause; something that quiets or represses; removal from activity.

   dated, uncountable

   Olive's specific terrors and dangers had by this time very much blown over; Basil Ransom had given no sign of life for ages, and Henry Burrage had certainly got his quietus before they went to Europe.

2. Death.

   dated, figuratively, uncountable

   When he himſelfe might his Quietus make / With a bare Bodkin?

3. Final settlement (e.g., of a debt).

   dated, uncountable

Where it comes from

Short for Medieval Latin quiētus est (literally “he is quiet”). First attested in the 1530s. Earlier attested as Late Middle English quietus est. Doublet of coy, quiet, quit, and quite.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry quietus (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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