Freedom from disturbance; a state of tranquillity; the cessation of war.
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Latin12th century (in English)well-attested
From OldFrench "pais" (peace, reconciliation), from Latin "pāx" (genitive "pācis," peace, compact, agreement), from PIE *paḱ- (to fasten, to fix, to bind by agreement). The fundamental concept is a covenant or binding agreement — peace is etymologically something fastened between parties. The PIE root *paḱ- produced a vast Latin word family: "pangere" (to fix, to fasten → "pact," "compact," "impact"), "pāgina" (a column of writing
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'Peace,' 'pact,' 'pay,' and 'appease' all come from PIE *paḱ- (to fasten). Peace is a bindingagreement. A pact is a fastening between parties. To pay is to pacify a creditor (to fasten thedebt). To appease is to bring to peace. Even the name 'Pacific' Ocean means 'the peaceful one' — Magellan named it for its calm
. "Peace" displaced the native Old English "friþ" (peace, protection, from *preyH-, to love — cognate with "free" and "friend"), though "frith" survives in archaic English. The replacement of a Germanic peace-word rooted in love with a Latin one rooted in binding agreements mirrors the Norman Conquest's transformation of English legal and political vocabulary. Key roots: *paḱ- (Proto-Indo-European: "to fasten, to fix, to bind").