calm
[kahm; older use kam; spelling pronunciation kahlm]
- without rough motion; still or nearly still: a calm sea.
- not windy or stormy: a calm day.
- free from excitement or passion; tranquil: a calm face; a calm manner.
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- freedom from motion or disturbance; stillness.
- Meteorology. wind speed of less than 1 mile per hour (0.447 m/sec).
- freedom from agitation, excitement, or passion; tranquillity; serenity: She faced the possibility of death with complete calm.
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- to make calm: He calmed the excited dog.
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- to become calm (usually followed by down).
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Origin of calm
1350–1400; (noun, adj.) Middle English calm(e) < Italian calma (noun), calmo (adj.) < Late Latin cauma summer heat (with l perhaps from Latin calēre to be hot) < Greek kaûma (stem kaumat-) burning heat; akin to kaíein to burn (see caustic); (v.) Middle English calmen < Italian calmare, derivative of the noun
Synonyms
See more synonyms for calm on Thesaurus.com1. quiet, motionless. 3. placid, peaceful, serene, self-possessed. 7. still, quiet, tranquilize; allay, assuage, mollify, soothe, soften.
Synonym study
3. Calm, collected, composed, cool imply the absence of agitation. Calm implies an unruffled state, especially under disturbing conditions: calm in a crisis. Collected implies complete inner command of oneself, usually as the result of an effort: He remained collected in spite of the excitement. One who is composed has or has gained dignified self-possession: pale but composed. Cool implies clarity of judgment along with apparent absence of strong feeling or excitement, especially in circumstances of danger or strain: so cool that he seemed calm.
Antonyms
2. tempestuous. 3. agitated.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for calmly
Contemporary Examples
He calmly offered his vision of an ideology that merges libertarian values with social conservative virtue.
It was strange to see Ramona deal with Aviva so calmly: usually her head swivels and her eye sockets pulse.
Betrayal, Blowjobs, and Bitchery: the 'Real Housewives' Get Really DesperateTim Teeman
March 12, 2014
Beyond that, explained Robinson, Carson was able to “calmly articulate conservative principles.”
His assistant manager, DOUG STAMPER, is agitated, pacing back and forth, while UNDERWOOD calmly eats a breadstick.
Frank Underwood Will Not Tolerate Insubordination in This Olive GardenKelly Williams Brown
February 24, 2014
Jamie growls at Cardosa, who replies “yes” and calmly expresses regret on the other end of the line.
Historical Examples
"Captain Haley knows very well the falsehood of what he says," said our hero, calmly.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
"Not the first time Bill Dozier has done it," said Henry calmly.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
"Ask Allister what fighting had to do with the running of things," said Andrew calmly.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
"Then we'll say at three," she said calmly, and took an orderly and unflurried departure.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
Angelique had listened to all this calmly, with her hands listlessly clasped in her lap.
The DreamEmile Zola
calm
- almost without motion; stilla calm sea
- meteorol of force 0 on the Beaufort scale; without wind
- not disturbed, agitated, or excited; under controlhe stayed calm throughout the confusion
- tranquil; serenea calm voice
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- an absence of disturbance or rough motion; stillness
- absence of wind
- tranquillity
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- (often foll by down) to make or become calm
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Word Origin
C14: from Old French calme, from Old Italian calma, from Late Latin cauma heat, hence a rest during the heat of the day, from Greek kauma heat, from kaiein to burn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for calmly
calm
n.
late 14c., from Old French calme, carme "stillness, quiet, tranquility," from the adjective (see calm (adj.)).
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calm
v.
late 14c., from Old French calmer or from calm (adj.). Related: Calmed; calming.
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calm
adj.
late 14c., from Old French calme "tranquility, quiet," traditionally from Old Italian calma, from Late Latin cauma "heat of the mid-day sun" (in Italy, a time when everything rests and is still), from Greek kauma "heat" (especially of the sun), from kaiein "to burn" (see caustic). Spelling influenced by Latin calere "to be hot." Figurative application to social or mental conditions is 16c.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper