calme

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kalm/^[1]

Forms

calme (plural calmes)^[1] The adjective was first carme (late 15th century, in Picard and in Perceforest).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

The noun “calme” is from Ancient Greek καῦμα (kaûma, “burning heat”), from καίω (kaíō, “to burn”), through a Romance language.^[5][2][6] Bloch and Wartburg, the FEW and Meyer-Lübke take it from Italian calma; the TLFi and Rey prefer an Iberian language, probably Catalan calma, because the Italian word never meant “great heat”, while Spanish calma, Portuguese calma and Catalan have both senses.^[5][2][7][8] The sense would have passed from the heat of the day to the stillness of the sea in very hot weather.^[3][9] Bloch and Wartburg explain the ⟨al⟩ by a borrowing made after Greek /au/ had become /o/.^[7]

The adjective is probably the noun used as an adjective, as in the other Romance languages; the GLLF takes it from calmo.^[2][3][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun is first found in 1418 as a sailors' term for a complete absence of wind, in Caumont's Voyage d'outremer.^[5][2] The adjective, as carme, described the sea and the weather at sea: in Perceforest the sea between Britain and Ireland n'est point paisible ne carme.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Calme plat “dead calm” (1704) passed from the sea into general use.^[5][2] From 1671 the noun meant absence of mental or social disturbance, and of noise or movement.^[5][2] The adjective was extended from the sea to people and their state of mind in 1601, and in the stock market les affaires sont calmes means little business is being done.^[2][4] Slang calmos (1972) means “calm, take it easy”.^[2]

Timeline

• 1418 – Calme “absence of wind”, Caumont.^[5]
• Late 15th century – The adjective carme.^[2][3]
• 1585 – The form calme as an adjective.^[2][3]
• 1601 – Of a person's state of mind.^[2]
• 1671 – The noun “tranquillity”.^[5]
• 1704 – Calme plat, in Trévoux.^[5]
• 1972 – Calmos.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. calm, still, untroubled: une mer calme, une nuit calme.^[9][11]
2. Quiet, peaceful: une rue calme.^[11][1]
3. (of a person) Composed, self-controlled, (of a patient) no longer agitated.^[11][9]
4. Lacking activity: les affaires sont calmes.^[4][10]

Noun

1. Stillness of the air and sea, calme plat, dead calm.^[9][5]
2. Quiet, absence of noise or agitation; composure: garder son calme.^[12][9]

Word family

• calmer
• calmement
• calmant
• accalmie
• calmos

Related words

• chômer

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 539b
7. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
11. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
12. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)