becalm

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /bɪˈkɑm/ UK /bɪˈkɑːm/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like become /ʌ/ vs /ɑ/

Meanings

1

verb
to make still or quiet; to leave (a ship) motionless for want of wind

The fog and dead air becalmed the sloop for two days.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make still or quiet; to... still quiet calm soothe pacify settle tranquilize

Opposites

agitate stir trouble disturb

Word family

Derived forms becalmedbecalming

Related forms calm

Etymology

From the intensive prefix be- + calm. Calm came into Middle English from Old French calme, ultimately from Late Latin cauma ('heat of the day, rest'), from Ancient Greek kauma ('heat'), from kaiein ('to burn').

be- Old English cauma la-lat kauma Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# becalm

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /bɪˈkɑm/
**IPA (UK):** /bɪˈkɑːm/

## Meanings
1. to make still or quiet; to leave (a ship) motionless for want of wind

## Examples
- The fog and dead air becalmed the sloop for two days.

## Synonyms
- still
- quiet
- calm
- soothe
- pacify
- settle
- tranquilize

## Antonyms
- agitate
- stir
- trouble
- disturb

## Derived Forms
- becalmed
- becalming

## Related Forms
- calm

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: be-
- Root: cauma
- Root: kauma

## Etymology
From the intensive prefix be- + calm. Calm came into Middle English from Old French calme, ultimately from Late Latin cauma ('heat of the day, rest'), from Ancient Greek kauma ('heat'), from kaiein ('to burn').

## AI Etymology
Becalm is from the intensive prefix be- + calm. Calm came into Middle English from Old French calme, ultimately from Late Latin cauma ('heat of the day, rest'), from Ancient Greek kauma ('heat'), from kaiein ('to burn'). Important recorded forms include be- (Old English), cauma (Latin), and kauma (Ancient Greek). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers to make still or quiet; to leave (a ship) motionless for want of wind. The wider family includes derived forms such as becalmed and becalming and related words such as calm.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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