Dictionary.com
definitions

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
Related formscalm·ing·ly, adverbcalm·ly, adverbcalm·ness, nounqua·si-calm, adjectivequa·si-calm·ly, adverbun·calm, adjectiveun·calm·ly, adverbun·calm·ness, noun

Synonyms for calm

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR calm ON THESAURUS.COM
1. 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 for calm

2. tempestuous. 3. agitated.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for calmly

peacefully, easily, smoothly, coolly, serenely, sedately, evenly, composedly, tranquilly, unhurriedly

Examples from the Web for calmly

Contemporary Examples of calmly

Historical Examples of calmly

  • "Captain Haley knows very well the falsehood of what he says," said our hero, calmly.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • "Not the first time Bill Dozier has done it," said Henry calmly.

  • "Ask Allister what fighting had to do with the running of things," said Andrew calmly.

  • "Then we'll say at three," she said calmly, and took an orderly and unflurried departure.

    K

    Mary Roberts Rinehart

  • Angelique had listened to all this calmly, with her hands listlessly clasped in her lap.

    The Dream

    Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for calmly

calm

adjective

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

noun

an absence of disturbance or rough motion; stillness
absence of wind
tranquillity

verb

(often foll by down) to make or become calm
Derived Formscalmly, adverbcalmness, noun

Word Origin for calm

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for calmly
adv.

1590s, from calm (adj.) + -ly (2).

calm

n.

late 14c., from Old French calme, carme "stillness, quiet, tranquility," from the adjective (see calm (adj.)).

calm

v.

late 14c., from Old French calmer or from calm (adj.). Related: Calmed; calming.

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper