Peace

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Peace, n. [OE. pees, pais, OF. pais, paiz, pes, F. paix, L. pax, pacis, akin to pacere, paciscere, pacisci, to make an agreement, and prob. also pangere to fasten. Cf. Appease, Fair, a., Fay, v., Fang, Pacify, Pact, Pay to requite.].

 A state of quiet or tranquillity; freedom from disturbance or agitation; calm; repose  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]
" Peace is sometimes used as an exclamation in commanding silence, quiet, or order. “Peace! foolish woman.”"  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

At peace, in a state of peace. -- Breach of the peace. See under Breach. -- Justice of the peace. See under Justice. -- Peace of God. (Law) (a) A term used in wills, indictments, etc., as denoting a state of peace and good conduct. (b) (Theol.) The peace of heart which is the gift of God. -- Peace offering. (a) (Jewish Antiq.) A voluntary offering to God in token of devout homage and of a sense of friendly communion with Him. (b) A gift or service offered as satisfaction to an offended person. -- Peace officer, a civil officer whose duty it is to preserve the public peace, to prevent riots, etc., as a polliceman, sheriff or constable. -- To hold one's peace, to be silent; to refrain from speaking. -- To make one's peace with, to reconcile one with, to plead one's cause with, or to become reconciled with, another. “I will make your peace with him.” Shak.

Peace, v. t. & i. 

 To make or become quiet; to be silent; to stop.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
"When the thunder would not peace at my bidding."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Peace, n.
1 a quiet; tranquillity (needs peace to work well). b mental calm; serenity (peace of mind).
2 a (often attrib.) freedom from or the cessation of war (peace talks). b (esp. Peace) a treaty of peace between two States etc. at war.
3 freedom from civil disorder.
4 Eccl. a ritual liturgical greeting.

Idiom

at peace
1 in a state of friendliness.
2 serene.
3 euphem. dead. hold one's peace keep silence. keep the peace prevent, or refrain from, strife. make one's peace (often foll. by with) re-establish friendly relations. make peace bring about peace; reconcile. the peace (or the queen's peace) peace existing within a realm; civil order. Peace Corps US an organization sending young people to work as volunteers in developing countries.
peace-offering
1 a propitiatory or conciliatory gift.
2 Bibl. an offering presented as a thanksgiving to God. peace-pipe a tobacco-pipe as a token of peace among US Indians.

Etymology

ME f. AF pes, OF pais f. L pax pacis

DEVIL DICTIONARY

Peace

n. In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting.

O, what's the loud uproar assailing
Mine ears without cease?
'Tis the voice of the hopeful, all-hailing
The horrors of peace.

Ah, Peace Universal; they woo it --
Would marry it, too.
If only they knew how to do it
'Twere easy to do.

They're working by night and by day
On their problem, like moles.
Have mercy, O Heaven, I pray,
On their meddlesome souls!
Ro Amil

THESAURUS

Peace

Pax Dei, Pax Romana, Peace of God, accord, accordance, affinity, agape, agreement, amity, armistice, arrangement, array, assent, ataraxia, ataraxy, awful silence, bonds of harmony, breathing spell, brotherly love, buffer zone, calm, calmness, caritas, cease-fire, cement of friendship, charity, chorus, coherence, coincidence, commodiousness, communion, community, community of interests, compatibility, composure, concert, concord, concordance, conformance, conformation, conformity, congeniality, congruence, congruency, congruity, consistency, consonance, consort, contemplation, convenience, cooling-off period, cooperation, correspondence, coziness, cushioniness, dead, dead of night, deathlike silence, demilitarized zone, deployment, disposal, disposition, easiness, empathy, equivalence, esprit, esprit de corps, feeling of identity, fellow feeling, fellowship, formation, frictionlessness, friendliness, golden silence, good vibes, good vibrations, happy family, harmoniousness, harmony, hollow truce, homelikeness, homeliness, homeyness, hospitality, hush, hush of night, identity, imperturbability, inaudibility, intersection, kinship, layout, like-mindedness, lineup, love, lucid stillness, lull, luxuriousness, marmoreal repose, marshaling, modus vivendi, mum, mutuality, neutral territory, nirvana, noiselessness, oneness, order, organization, overlap, pacification, parallelism, pax in bello, peace of mind, peaceableness, peacefulness, peacetime, placidity, placidness, proportion, quiescence, quiescency, quiet, quietism, quietness, quietude, rapport, rapprochement, reciprocity, regularity, repose, reposefulness, rest, restfulness, roominess, routine, satori, self-consistency, serenity, setup, sharing, silence, silentness, silken repose, sleep, slumber, snugness, softness, solemn silence, solidarity, soundlessness, stand-down, still, stillness, structure, suspension of hostilities, symmetry, sympathy, symphony, sync, synchronism, system, tacitness, taciturnity, tally, team spirit, temporary arrangement, timing, tomblike silence, tranquillity, treaty of peace, truce, understanding, uniformity, union, unison, unisonance, unity, warmness, whisht, wise passiveness

ROGET THESAURUS

Peace

Concord

N concord, accord, harmony, symphony, homologue, agreement, sympathy, empathy, response, union, unison, unity, bonds of harmony, peace, unanimity, league, happy family, rapprochement, reunion, amity, alliance, entente cordiale, good understanding, conciliation, peacemaker, intercessor, mediator, concordant, congenial, agreeing, in accord, harmonious, united, cemented, banded together, allied, friendly, fraternal, conciliatory, at one with, of one mind, at peace, in still water, tranquil, with one voice, in concert with, hand in hand, on one's side, commune periculum concordiam parit, melody concord, melody, rhythm, measure, rhyme, pitch, timbre, intonation, tone, scale, gamut, diapason, diatonic chromatic scale, enharmonic scale, key, clef, chords, modulation, temperament, syncope, syncopation, preparation, suspension, resolution, staff, stave, line, space, brace, bar, rest, appoggiato, appoggiatura, acciaccatura, note, musical note, notes of a scale, sharp, flat, natural, high note, low note, interval, semitone, second, third, fourth, diatessaron, breve, semibreve, minim, crotchet, quaver, semiquaver, demisemiquaver, hemidemisemiquaver, sustained note, drone, burden, tonic, key note, leading note, fundamental note, supertonic, mediant, dominant, submediant, subdominant, octave, tetrachord, major key, minor key, major scale, minor scale, major mode, minor mode, passage, phrase, concord, harmony, emmeleia, unison, unisonance, chime, homophony, euphony, euphonism, tonality, consonance, consent, part, harmony, harmonics, thorough-bass, fundamental-bass, counterpoint, faburden, piece of music, composer, harmonist, contrapuntist (musician), harmonious, harmonical, in concord, in tune, in concert, unisonant, concentual, symphonizing, isotonic, homophonous, assonant, ariose, consonant, measured, rhythmical, diatonic, chromatic, enharmonic, melodious, musical, melic, tuneful, tunable, sweet, dulcet, canorous, mellow, mellifluous, soft, clear, clear as a bell, silvery, euphonious, euphonic, euphonical, symphonious, enchanting fine-toned, full-toned, silver-toned, harmoniously, in harmony, as one, the hidden soul of harmony.

Peace

N peace, amity, harmony, tranquility, calm, truce, peace treaty, accord, peace pipe, pipe of peace, calumet of peace, piping time of peace, quiet life, neutrality, dove of peace, white dove, dove, pax Romana, Pax Americana, pacific, peaceable, peaceful, calm, tranquil, untroubled, halcyon, bloodless, neutral, dovish, the storm blown over, the lion lies down with the lamb, all quiet on the Potomac, paritur pax bello, peace hath her victories no less renowned than war, they make a desert and they call it peace.

Friendship

N friendship, amity, friendliness, brotherhood, fraternity, sodality, confraternity, harmony, peace, firm friendship, staunch friendship, intimate friendship, familiar friendship, bosom friendship, cordial friendship, tried friendship, devoted friendship, lasting friendship, fast friendship, sincere friendship, warm friendship, ardent friendship, cordiality, fraternization, entente cordiale, good understanding, rapprochement, sympathy, fellow-feeling, response, welcomeness, affection, favoritism, good will, acquaintance, familiarity, intimacy, intercourse, fellowship, knowledge of, introduction, friendly, amicable, amical, well-affected, unhostile, neighborly, brotherly, fraternal, sympathetic, harmonious, hearty, cordial, warm- hearted, friends with, well with, at home with, hand in hand with, on good terms, on friendly terms, on amicable terms, on cordial terms, on familiar terms, on intimate terms, on good footing, on speaking terms, on visiting terms, in one's good graces, in one's good books, acquainted, familiar, intimate, thick, hand and glove, hail fellow well met, free and easy, welcome, amicably, with open arms, sans ceremonie, arm in arm, amicitia semper prodest, a mystic bond of brotherhood makes all men one, friendship is love without either flowers or veil, trulgus amicitias utilitate probat.

Quiescence

N quiescence, rest, stillness, quiescence, stagnation, stagnancy, fixity, immobility, catalepsy, indisturbance, quietism, quiet, tranquility, calm, repose, peace, dead calm, anticyclone, statue-like repose, silence, not a breath of air, not a mouse stirring, sleep, pause, lull, stand still, standing still, lock, dead lock, dead stop, dead stand, full stop, fix, embargo, resting place, gite, bivouac, home, pillow, haven, goal, quiescent, still, motionless, moveless, fixed, stationary, immotile, at rest at a stand, at a standstill, at anchor, stock, still, standing still, sedentary, untraveled, stay-at-home, becalmed, stagnant, quiet, unmoved, undisturbed, unruffled, calm, restful, cataleptic, immovable, sleeping, silent, still as a statue, still as a post, still as a mouse, still as death, vegetative, vegetating, at a stand, tout court, at the halt, Int, stop!, stay!, avast!, halt!, hold hard!, whoa!, hold!, sabr karo!, requiescat in pace, Deus nobis haec otia fecit, the noonday quiet holds the hill.

Silence

N silence, stillness, peace, hush, lull, muteness, solemn silence, awful silence, dead silence, deathlike silence, silent, still, stilly, noiseless, soundless, hushed, mute, soft, solemn, awful, deathlike, silent as the grave, inaudible, silently, sub silentio, Int, hush!, silence!, soft!, whist!, tush!, chut!, tut!, pax!, be quiet!, be silent!, be still!, shut up!, chup!, chup rao!, tace!, one might hear a feather drop, one might hear a pin drop, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, grosse Seelen dulden still, le silence est la vertu de ceux qui ne sont pas sa, le silence est le parti le plus sar de celui se d_, silence more musical than any song, tacent satis laudant, better to be silent and thought a fool than to spe.