Requies

Requies is a Latin noun meaning rest or repose. In classical and Late Latin texts, the term functions as an abstract noun describing a state of quiet, relief, or sleep, and it is commonly encountered in epitaphs to signify the repose of the deceased. The word is closely related to quies, from which it is derived, and shares the semantic field of peace and stillness that pervades Latin discussions of the body and soul.

In ecclesiastical Latin, the concept of requies is connected with death, memorialization, and the desire for a peaceful afterlife. The more famous formula involving rest in death is requiescat in pace, which uses a related verb form rather than the noun itself. The noun requies appears primarily in literary and epigraphic contexts and is rarely used in modern English outside scholarly discussion of Latin grammar and texts.

There are no widely recognized modern concepts or entities officially named “requies” outside such scholarly usage. When encountered in English-language sources, it is usually in quotes or as part of linguistic analysis rather than as a term with independent cultural or technical meaning.

See also: quies, requiescat in pace, requiem.