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In the early 1500s, English speakers adopted the Medieval Latin phrase quietus est (literally "he is quit") as the name for the writ of discharge exempting a baron or knight from payment of a knight's fee to the king. The expression was later shortened to "quietus" and applied to the termination of any debt. William Shakespeare was the first to use "quietus" as a metaphor for the termination of life: "For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, … When he himself might his quietus make / With a bare bodkin?" (Hamlet). The third meaning, which is more influenced by "quiet" than "quit," appeared in the 19th century. It often occurs in the phrase "put the quietus on" (as in, "The bad news put the quietus on their celebration").

Examples of quietus in a Sentence

was granted a quietus on the remainder of the debt in the old man's will her unshakable belief in a blissful afterlife allowed her to meet her quietus without the slightest tinge of fear or regret

Recent Examples on the Web If Berryman is playing Cassandra to himself, crying out the details of his own quietus, how did the cry begin? — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, "The Heartsick Hilarity of John Berryman’s Letters," 12 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quietus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.