Cutters, initially silent (6)
I believe the answer is:
knives
'cutters' is the definition.
(knife is a kind of cutter)
I cannot understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for knives that I've seen before include "Cutters" , "Cutting instruments" , "Cutting tools" , "Blades" , "Daggers" .)