quieten

In Southern and Appalachian speech, "quieten" means to make quiet, calm, or hush. It survives as a natural everyday verb where other regions might just say "quiet" or "calm."

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Hillbilly Dude Says...

With a little of kids, I use 'quieten often. It's common down here.

Pronunciation

[KWY-uh-tən] /ˈkwaɪətən/ · [KWAT-ən] /ˈkwɑːtən/ (regional)

Meaning & Usage

- To make someone/something quiet; hush (verb)

Mae:

They’re wound up.

Earl:

I’ll quieten ’em before supper.

- To calm or settle (noise, crowd, animal) (verb)

Mae:

How’d the service go?

Earl:

Choir quietened the place with that hymn.

- (Intransitive) To become quiet; subside (verb)

Mae:

They still arguing?

Earl:

Naw, it quietened down.

variations: quiet (verb), calm down, hush, settle

★ "Quieten" is the older British form ("to make quiet"). Southern/Appalachian speech kept it alive, especially in the set phrase "quieten down" in schools, churches, and family talk. ★

Origin

From older British English "quieten" (18th-19th c.). Recorded in regional word lists and Appalachian speech as a natural everyday verb, reflecting the area’s tendency to preserve older English forms.

Notes

Everyday and natural in Southern/Appalachian speech. Outside the region, people may prefer "quiet" as a verb ("quiet the baby") or "calm down," but "quieten" is widely understood.

Say It Like a Southerner

Say it natural: often "quieten down" as a fixed phrase; the middle syllable is light-"KWY-’n."

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Common Questions

Is "quieten" correct English?

Yes-standard in British English and regionally standard in the American South/Appalachia.

Do you always need "down"?

No, but "quieten down" is the most common phrase.

Can it be past tense?

Sure-"quietened" ("The crowd quietened after the prayer").