Calm Came From the Heat of Midday
Calm means free from disturbance. The Greek root refers to the burning heat when everything stops moving.
Calm means free from movement, noise or agitation. The root is Greek *kauma*, the burning heat of the day: in a Mediterranean afternoon the wind drops, work stops and everything falls still. The word for the heat became the word for the stillness it produced. At sea, *the doldrums* and *the horse latitudes* are calm belts where sailing ships could be stranded for weeks, which is why *calm* is not always a good thing on the water.
- Free from disturbance. *A calm sea.*
- Composed. *Stay calm.*
- To soothe. *Calm him down.*
- The calm before the storm. *The calm before the storm.*
- Greek — *kauma*, heat. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | calm | Calm. |
| Noun | calm | A calm. |
| Verb | calm | Calmed. |
| Adverb | calmly | Calmly. |
| Noun | calmness | Calmness. |
- The sea was completely calm.Weather.
- She stayed calm throughout.Composure.
- The root means burning heat.Etymology.
Calm belts at sea
- The doldrums — the equatorial belt of light and variable winds
- The horse latitudes — calm zones around 30 degrees north and south
- Both could becalm a sailing ship for weeks
- In the doldrums now means low spirits or stagnation
- Force 0 on the Beaufort scale is called calm
Old French *calme*, from Italian *calma*, from late Latin *cauma*, from Greek *kauma*, burning heat.
How does heat give us calm?
In Mediterranean afternoons the wind drops and everything stops in the heat. The word for the heat became the word for the stillness.
What are the doldrums?
A belt of light and variable winds near the equator, where sailing ships could be stranded. The name now also means a spell of low spirits.