calm

• calme (obsolete)

From Middle English calm, calme, from Middle French calme, probably from Old Italian calma, of uncertain origin. Calma may derive from Late Latin cauma (“heat of the midday sun”), from Ancient Greek καῦμα (kaûma, “heat, especially of the sun”), from καίω (kaíō, “I burn”), or possibly from Latin caleō. Compare also Lombardic *chalm, *chalma (“frozenness”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kalmaz (“frozenness, cold”).

Displaced native Middle English smilte (“quite, still, gentle”) from Old English smylte (“quiet, tranquil, calm, serene”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kɑːm/
• (US) IPA^(key): /kɑm/, /kɑlm/, /kɔ(ː)m/, (archaic) /kæm/[1]
• (Ireland, Scotland) IPA^(key): /kam/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːm
• (nonstandard, now chiefly dialect) IPA^(key): /kaɹm/

calm (comparative calmer or more calm, superlative calmest or most calm)

1. (of a person) Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety.

   Antonyms: stressed, nervous, anxious

2. (of a place or situation) Free of noise and disturbance.

   Antonym: disturbed

3. (of water) with few or no waves on the surface; not rippled.
4. Without wind or storm.

   Antonyms: windy, stormy

• See also Thesaurus:calm

calm (countable and uncountable, plural calms)

1. (in a person) The state of being calm; peacefulness; absence of worry, anger, fear or other strong negative emotion.
2. (in a place or situation) The state of being calm; absence of noise and disturbance.
3. A period of time without wind.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Mark 4:39:

     The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 64, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, OCLC 57395299, page 324:

     It was a calm ; so, forming a tandem of three boats, we commenced the slow business of towing the trophy to the Pequod.

• See also Thesaurus:calmness

calm (third-person singular simple present calms, present participle calming, simple past and past participle calmed)

1. (transitive) To make calm.

   to calm a crying baby

   to calm the passions

   • 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 403869432:

     to calm the tempest raised by Aeolus

2. (intransitive) To become calm.

• allay, appease, calm down, cool off, ease, pacify, quieten, soothe, subdue

• agitate
• excite

• ALCM, CAML, CLAM, Caml, Malc, clam

From calma, probably in imitation of French calme (adjective) and Spanish calmo.

calm (feminine calma, masculine plural calms, feminine plural calmes)

1. calm

• calma
• calmar

calm

1. Alternative form of calme

calm

1. Alternative form of calme

Borrowed from French calme.

calm n (plural calmuri)

1. composure (calmness of mind or matter, self-possession)

• calma