Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “calming” come from?

Calming derives from Middle English calm, from Old French calme, which originally meant to make quiet or still.

calming (English): present participle of calm

Definitions

  1. present participle of calm

Ancestry of “calming”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcalmPeaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and...
2Middle Englishcalm—
3Middle Frenchcalmecalm; still; windless
4Italiancalmacalm, stillness, peacefulness; tranquility, peace...
5Latincaumaheat; heat of the day
6Ancient Greekκαῦμαburning, glow, heat; fever; holes cut by cautery
7Ancient GreekκαίωI light, kindle, set on fire; I burn, burn up; I...
8Proto-Hellenic*káyyō—

Words derived from “calming”

  • calmingly
  • uncalming
  • calmingness
Every word from Proto-Hellenic *káyyō →