a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Origin: 1350–1400; (noun, adj.) Middle Englishcalm(e) < Italiancalma (noun), calmo (adj.) < Late Latincauma summer heat (with l perhaps from Latincalēre to be hot) < Greekkaûma (stem kaumat-) burning heat; akin to kaíein to burn (see caustic); (v.) Middle Englishcalmen < Italiancalmare, derivative of the noun
Related forms
calm·ing·ly, adverb
calm·ly, adverb
calm·ness, noun
qua·si-calm, adjective
qua·si-calm·ly, adverb
un·calm, adjective
un·calm·ly, adverb
un·calm·ness, noun
Synonyms 1. quiet, motionless. 3. placid, peaceful, serene, self-possessed. Calm, collected, composed, cool imply the absence of agitation. Calm implies an unruffled state, especially under disturbing conditions: calm in a crisis.Collected implies complete inner command of oneself, usually as the result of an effort: He remained collected in spite of the excitement. One who is composed has or has gained dignified self-possession: pale but composed.Cool implies clarity of judgment along with apparent absence of strong feeling or excitement, especially in circumstances of danger or strain: so cool that he seemed calm.7. still, quiet, tranquilize; allay, assuage, mollify, soothe, soften.
meteorol of force 0 on the Beaufort scale; without wind
3.
not disturbed, agitated, or excited; under control: he stayed calm throughout the confusion
4.
tranquil; serene: a calm voice
—n
5.
an absence of disturbance or rough motion; stillness
6.
absence of wind
7.
tranquillity
—vb
8.
(often foll by down) to make or become calm
[C14: from Old French calme, from Old Italian calma, from Late Latin cauma heat, hence a rest during the heat of the day, from Greek kauma heat, from kaiein to burn]
late 14c., from O.Fr. calme, traditionally from O.It. calma, from L.L. cauma "heat of the mid-day sun" (in Italy, a time when everything rests and is still), from Gk. kauma "heat" (especially of the sun), from kaiein "to burn." Spelling influenced by L. calere "to be hot." Figurative application to social