Meanings
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1
adj
Relaxed and not worried, angry, or upset.
She stayed calm even when the news was bad.
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2
adj
Without wind, storms, or rough water.
The sea was calm and the sky was clear.
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3
verb
To make someone feel more relaxed and less upset.
She tried to calm the crying baby.
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4
noun
A peaceful state with no worry, noise, or trouble.
After the storm, a deep calm settled over the village.
Thesaurus
Common collocations
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, “to 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”).
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