calm

English Online Dictionary. What means calm‎? What does calm mean?

English

Alternative forms

• calme (obsolete)

Etymology

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 (“quiet, still, gentle”) from Old English smylte (“quiet, tranquil, calm, serene”).

Pronunciation

• (England, Wales) IPA^(key): /kɑːm/, [kʰɑːm]
• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /kaːm/, [kʰɐːm]
• (US) IPA^(key): /kɑm/, /kɑlm/, /kɔlm/, (archaic) /kæm/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): [kʰäː(ɫ)m], [kʰɒː(ɫ)m], [kʰa(ː)m]
• (Ireland, Scotland) IPA^(key): /kam/
• (nonstandard, now chiefly dialectal) IPA^(key): /kaɹm/
• Rhymes: -ɑːm, -ɑːlm, -ɔːlm, -ɔːm, -æm

Adjective

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

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:calm

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

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.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:calmness

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

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
2. (intransitive) To become calm.

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

• agitate
• excite

Derived terms

Translations

References

Anagrams

• ALCM, CAML, CLAM, Caml, Malc, clam

Catalan

Etymology

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

Adjective

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

1. calm

Related terms

• calma
• calmar

Middle English

Noun

calm

1. Alternative form of calme

Adjective

calm

1. Alternative form of calme

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French calme.

Pronunciation

Noun

calm n (plural calmuri)

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

Related terms

• calma