ticho

Ticho is a noun in Czech and Slovak meaning "silence" or "quiet." In these languages it denotes the state of absence of sound as well as a figurative sense of calm or stillness. It is used in everyday speech, journalism, and literature, and occurs in many common expressions, such as ticho po bouři, meaning "the silence after the storm," or prosím, ticho, used to request quiet.

Etymology: The word ticho comes from Proto-Slavic roots and is cognate with the adjective tichý in Czech and Slovak, meaning "silent." The noun-adjective pair in these languages reflects typical Slavic word formation.

Cross-linguistic notes: While ticho is specific to Czech and Slovak, other Slavic languages have different terms for silence. Russian uses tišina (or tišina), Polish uses cisza, and in Serbo-Croatian tiho functions as an adverb meaning "quietly" while the noun tišina denotes silence. These terms share a common semantic field but differ in form and use.

Cultural usage: In literature, film, and music, ticho is often employed as a motif to evoke introspection, suspense, or a transition between actions. The word appears in headlines, poetry, and everyday narration to frame moments of quiet or stillness.