diff --git a/runtime/vam/expr/function/errors.go b/runtime/vam/expr/function/errors.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f59df290fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/runtime/vam/expr/function/errors.go
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package function
+
+import (
+	"github.com/brimdata/zed"
+	"github.com/brimdata/zed/vector"
+)
+
+// https://github.com/brimdata/zed/blob/main/docs/language/functions.md#quiet
+type Quiet struct {
+	zctx *zed.Context
+}
+
+func (q *Quiet) Call(args ...vector.Any) vector.Any {
+	arg, ok := args[0].(*vector.Error)
+	if !ok {
+		return args[0]
+	}
+	if _, ok := arg.Typ.Type.(*zed.TypeOfString); !ok {
+		return args[0]
+	}
+	n := arg.Len()
+	vec := vector.NewStringEmpty(n, vector.NewBoolEmpty(n, nil))
+	for i := uint32(0); i < n; i++ {
+		s, isnull := vector.StringValue(arg.Vals, i)
+		if isnull {
+			vec.Nulls.Set(i)
+		}
+		if s == "missing" {
+			s = "quiet"
+		}
+		vec.Append(s)
+	}
+	return vector.NewError(arg.Typ, vec, arg.Nulls)
+}
diff --git a/runtime/vam/expr/function/function.go b/runtime/vam/expr/function/function.go
index 93c634b806..d0eb147cf7 100644
--- a/runtime/vam/expr/function/function.go
+++ b/runtime/vam/expr/function/function.go
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ func New(zctx *zed.Context, name string, narg int) (expr.Function, field.Path, e
 		f = &Levenshtein{zctx}
 	case "lower":
 		f = &ToLower{zctx}
+	case "quiet":
+		f = &Quiet{}
 	case "replace":
 		argmin, argmax = 3, 3
 		f = &Replace{zctx}
diff --git a/runtime/vam/op/yield.go b/runtime/vam/op/yield.go
index ee337279c5..ac99b6d84d 100644
--- a/runtime/vam/op/yield.go
+++ b/runtime/vam/op/yield.go
@@ -44,11 +44,6 @@ func (y *Yield) Pull(done bool) (vector.Any, error) {
 	}
 }
 
-func filterQuiet(val vector.Any) vector.Any {
-	// XXX this can't happen until we have functions
-	return val
-}
-
 // XXX should work for vector.Dynamic
 func interleave(vals []vector.Any) vector.Any {
 	if len(vals) < 2 {
@@ -63,3 +58,59 @@ func interleave(vals []vector.Any) vector.Any {
 	}
 	return vector.NewDynamic(tags, vals)
 }
+
+func filterQuiet(vec vector.Any) vector.Any {
+	var filtered bool
+	mask := vector.Apply(true, func(vecs ...vector.Any) vector.Any {
+		mask, hasfiltered := quietMask(vecs[0])
+		filtered = filtered || hasfiltered
+		return mask
+	}, vec)
+	if !filtered {
+		return vec
+	}
+	n := vec.Len()
+	var index []uint32
+	for k := uint32(0); k < n; k++ {
+		if vector.BoolValue(mask, k) {
+			index = append(index, k)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(index) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if len(index) == int(n) {
+		return vec
+	}
+	return vector.NewView(index, vec)
+}
+
+func quietMask(vec vector.Any) (vector.Any, bool) {
+	errtyp, ok := vec.Type().(*zed.TypeError)
+	if !ok {
+		return vector.NewConst(zed.True, vec.Len(), nil), false
+	}
+	if _, ok := errtyp.Type.(*zed.TypeOfString); !ok {
+		return vector.NewConst(zed.True, vec.Len(), nil), false
+	}
+	n := vec.Len()
+	mask := vector.NewBoolEmpty(n, nil)
+	switch vec := vec.(type) {
+	case *vector.View:
+		vecerr := vec.Any.(*vector.Error)
+		for k, slot := range vec.Index {
+			if s, _ := vector.StringValue(vecerr.Vals, slot); s == "quiet" {
+				continue
+			}
+			mask.Set(uint32(k))
+		}
+	case *vector.Error:
+		for i := uint32(0); i < n; i++ {
+			if s, _ := vector.StringValue(vec.Vals, i); s == "quiet" {
+				continue
+			}
+			mask.Set(i)
+		}
+	}
+	return mask, true
+}
diff --git a/runtime/ztests/expr/function/quiet.yaml b/runtime/ztests/expr/function/quiet.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..47cfb7f8b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/runtime/ztests/expr/function/quiet.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+zed: quiet(this)
+
+vector: true
+
+input: |
+  error("missing")
+  error("missing")(=foo)
+  error("missing"(=bar))
+  null(error(string))
+  error(null(string))
+  error("quiet")
+  error({x:"missing"})
+
+output: |
+  error("missing")(=foo)
+  error("missing")(error(bar=string))
+  null(error(string))
+  null(error(string))
+  error({x:"missing"})
diff --git a/runtime/sam/op/yield/ztests/quiet.yaml b/runtime/ztests/op/yield-quiet.yaml
similarity index 86%
rename from runtime/sam/op/yield/ztests/quiet.yaml
rename to runtime/ztests/op/yield-quiet.yaml
index 692f43a2ec..066258216f 100644
--- a/runtime/sam/op/yield/ztests/quiet.yaml
+++ b/runtime/ztests/op/yield-quiet.yaml
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 zed: yield quiet(a)
 
+vector: true
+
 input: |
   {a:1}
   {b:1}
diff --git a/type.go b/type.go
index 0fa00a69c4..e22cc5eea6 100644
--- a/type.go
+++ b/type.go
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ func CompareTypes(a, b Type) int {
 		}
 		return 0
 	case ErrorKind:
-		ea, eb := a.(*TypeError), b.(*TypeError)
+		ea, eb := TypeUnder(a).(*TypeError), TypeUnder(b).(*TypeError)
 		return CompareTypes(ea.Type, eb.Type)
 	}
 	return 0
diff --git a/vector/error.go b/vector/error.go
index 1601b492b3..a5e5a77c34 100644
--- a/vector/error.go
+++ b/vector/error.go
@@ -42,9 +42,8 @@ func NewStringError(zctx *zed.Context, msg string, len uint32) *Error {
 }
 
 func NewMissing(zctx *zed.Context, len uint32) *Error {
-	missing := zctx.Missing()
-	vals := NewConst(missing, len, nil)
-	return &Error{Typ: missing.Type().(*zed.TypeError), Vals: vals}
+	vals := NewConst(zed.NewString("missing"), len, nil)
+	return &Error{Typ: zctx.LookupTypeError(zed.TypeString), Vals: vals}
 }
 
 func NewWrappedError(zctx *zed.Context, msg string, val Any) *Error {