Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tower of silence

/ˌtaʊɚ‿əv ˈsaɪləns/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.18 in modern English

Syllables: tow-er of sil-ence
IPA: /ˌtaʊɚ‿əv ˈsaɪləns/

22

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

3

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A low, cylindrical, open-topped tower where Zoroastrians place the bodies of deceased people to disintegrate from exposure and consumption by carrion birds such as vultures, the remaining bones being kept in an ossuary.

Etymology

Calque of French tour du silence, from the fact that human voices are generally not heard at such places.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌtaʊɚ‿əv ˈsaɪləns/
British English: /ˌtaʊɚ‿əv ˈsaɪl(ə)ns/

Inflected Forms

towers of silence (plural)

Phrases

sky burial

Frequently Paired Words

sky burial

Synonyms

dakhma doongerwadi

Rhymes With

violence silence pilonce

Questions

How do you pronounce tower of silence?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌtaʊɚ‿əv ˈsaɪləns/.
What does tower of silence mean?: A low, cylindrical, open-topped tower where Zoroastrians place the bodies of deceased people to disintegrate from exposure and consumption by carrion birds such as vultures, the remaining bones being kept in an ossuary.
Where does tower of silence come from?: Calque of French tour du silence, from the fact that human voices are generally not heard at such places.

How to pronounce tower of silence

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “tower of silence”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌtaʊɚ‿əv ˈsaɪləns/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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