From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Silencer \Si"lenc*er\, noun One that silences; specif.: (a) The muffler of an internal-combustion engine. (b) Any of various devices to silence the humming noise of telegraph wires. (c) A device for silencing the report of a firearm shooting its projectiles singly, as a tubular attachment for the muzzle having circular plates that permit the passage of the projectile but impart a rotary motion to, and thus retard, the exploding gases. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
1. Anything used in muffling; esp., a scarf for protecting the head and neck in cold weather; a tippet.
Fortune is painted blind, with a muffler above her eyes. --Shak.
2. (Mus.) A cushion for terminating or softening a note made by a stringed instrument with a keyboard.
3. A kind of mitten or boxing glove, esp. when stuffed.
5. (Mach.) Any of various devices to deaden the noise of escaping gases or vapors, as a tube filled with obstructions, through which the exhaust gases of an internal-combustion engine, as on an automobile, are passed (called also {silencer}). [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: short tube attached to the muzzle of a gun that deadens the sound of firing
2: a tubular acoustic device inserted in the exhaust system that is designed to reduce noise [syn: {muffler}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
22 Moby Thesaurus words for "silencer": acoustic tile, antiknock, baffler, cushion, damp, dampener, damper, gag, hushcloth, muffle, muffler, mute, muzzle, quietener, silence cloth, soft pedal, sordine, sordino, sound-absorbing material, soundproofing, soundproofing insulation, sourdine
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