calm

Forms

calm n (plural calmuri)^[1] As an adjective it inflects calm, calmă, plural calmi, calme; the noun has the plural calmuri.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French calme.^[4][2][5][1] Tiktin and Marcu and Maneca also name Italian calmo, and Scriban takes the French adjective from Italian “calmo” and the noun from calma.^[6][3][7]

French “calme” first meant the calm of the sea, the absence of wind.^[4] DELR derives it from Italian “calma”, from Late Latin cauma (“burning heat”), from Ancient Greek καῦμα (kaûma), a derivative of καίω (kaíō, “to burn”).^[4][8] The DHLF dates the French word to 1418 and thinks it came through an Iberian language rather than Italian: Spanish calma “absence of wind” is recorded in 1320–1355, and the maritime term may have passed through Catalan calma.^[8] The Greek verb has no established etymology and seems unrelated to Latin caleō (“to be warm”).^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR and Tiktin date the first record to 1825, with the adjective “quiet” and the noun “stillness”.^[4][6] MDA2's first record is Caragiale's Momente of 1901: „Persoanele toate păstrează un calm imperturbabil” “all the persons keep an unshakeable calm”.^[5][9]

Semantic evolution

The word carries both the weather sense, a total lull of the wind, and the human one, composure and peace of mind.^[10][11][9] Geography and seafaring use it in set phrases: calm ecuatorial and calm tropical for zones of the oceans with weak winds, and calm plat for a sea without waves.^[2][5] Dimitrescu records calm plat from French calme plat in a rowing report of 1961, and figuratively, “a dull stretch with no surprises”, in sports headlines from 1998.^[12]

The verb calma is recorded earlier than the adjective, from 1794, and the noun and adjective calmant “sedative” from 1849; both are loans from French.^[4]

Timeline

• 1794 – the verb calma “to calm”.^[4]
• 1825 – calm “quiet; stillness”, the first record.^[4][6]
• 1849 – calmant “sedative”.^[4]
• 1886 – Barcianu glosses the adjective with German ruhig and gelassen.^[13]
• 1901 – un calm imperturbabil in Caragiale's Momente.^[5][9]
• 1961 – calm plat “dead calm” in the press.^[12]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of nature: calm, perfectly still and quiet; of processes, going on quietly.^[2][5]
2. Of people and their feelings: self-controlled, composed; by extension placid, unhurried, imperturbable.^[2][5]

Noun

1. Complete stillness of the atmosphere, a lull; in calm ecuatorial and calm tropical, zones of weak winds;^[2][5] calm plat, a sea without waves.^[2][5]
2. Self-control, composure, sânge rece; peace of mind.^[2][1]

Word family

• calma
• calmant

Usage notes

A separate regional calm of Transylvania is a plant name, “sweet flag” (Acorus calamus), also “rush” (Juncus effusus).^[14][5] MDA2 gives it no certain etymon and compares calmuz.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 135
3. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. calm
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2011–), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române (DELR), vol. I: A–B (2011), vol. II: C (2015–2018), București: Editura Academiei Române; continued online at delr.lingv.ro, p. s.v. calm
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 280
6. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. calm
7. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 220
8. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 319
10. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. calm
11. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 94
12. ^ a b Dimitrescu, Florica (1997), Dicționar de cuvinte recente, 2nd ed., București: Logos (with the 3rd ed., 2013, in CLRE), p. s.v. calm
13. ^ Barcianu, Sava Popovici (1886), Dicționar român-germân și germân-român, revised by D. P. Barcianu, part I: român-germân, Sibiu: Institut tipografic, p. 78
14. ^ Panțu, Zach. C. (1929), Plantele cunoscute de poporul român. Vocabular botanic cuprinzând numirile române, franceze, germane și științifice, 2nd ed., București: Editura Casei Școalelor, p. 41