septuagesimussecundus

Theme for this week: Interjections. Yay!

st

Definition: sh! hist! whist! hush!

Sententia: "St!" clamat magistra, "Tacite, discipuli! Non loquendi estis quia nunc singula scientia temptatur, non scientia gregis!"

"Sh (or 'whist' si mavis [if you prefer])!" cries the teacher, "Be quiet, students! You must not talk, because now individual knowledge is being tested, not the knowledge of the group!"

This word is also not very common (i.e. not on the syllabus), but as an interjection it's rather important. The single syllable of "st" seems far superior to "tace" if you want to get the point across quickly that you want have quiet. And unlike the English word "sh," you can't draw it out (e.g. "shhhhhhhhhh"), and so in asking for quiet you don't make more noise than there was previously. And on another note, it seems like "hist" and "whist" probably are both derived from this word (though if you didn't have you look up "whist," you have a better English vocabulary than me... a hint: this whist is not the card game).