Online Etymology Dictionary

peace: 1140, "freedom from civil disorder," from Anglo-Norm. pes, from O.Fr. pais (11c., Fr. paix), from L. pacem (nom. pax) "treaty of peace, tranquility, absence of war" (cf. Prov. patz, Sp. paz, It. pace), from PIE *pak- "fasten," related to pacisci "to covenant or agree" (see pact). Replaced O.E. frið, also sibb, which also meant "happiness." Modern spelling is 1500s, reflecting vowel shift. Sense in peace of mind is from c.1200. Used in various greetings from c.1300, from Biblical L. pax, Gk. eirene, which were used by translators to render Heb. shalom, properly "safety, welfare, prosperity." Sense of "quiet" is attested by 1300; meaning "absence or cessation of war or hostility" is attested from c.1300. As a type of hybrid tea rose (developed 1939 in France by Francois Meilland), so called from 1944. Native American peace pipe is first recorded 1760. Peacemaker is from 1436. Phrase peace with honor first recorded 1607 (in "Coriolanus"). The Peace Corps was set up March 1, 1962. Peacenik is from 1965 (for suffix, see beatnik); an earlier equivalent was peacemonger (1808).
peaceful: c.1300, "inclined to peace, friendly," from peace. Meaning "tranquil, calm" is from mid-14c. In reference to nonviolent methods of effecting social change, it is attested from 1876. Peaceful coexistence (1920) originally was in regard to Soviet policy toward the capitalist West.
pax: c.1440, "kiss of peace," from L. pax (gen. pacis) "peace," in Ecclesiastical L., "kiss of peace" (see peace). Capitalized, Pax was the name of the Roman goddess of peace. Used by 1933 with adjs. from national names, on model of Pax Romana (e.g. Pax Americana, 1967).
Mir: space station, from Rus., lit. "peace, world," also "village, community," from O.C.S. miru "peace," from Proto-Slavic *miru "commune, joy, peace" ("possibly borrowed from Iranian" -Watkins), from PIE base *mei- "to bind" (see miter (1)). O.C.S. miru was "used in Christian terminology as a collective 'community of peace' " [Buck], translating Gk. kosmos. Hence, "the known world, mankind."
appease: early 14c., from O.Fr. apaiser, apeser "to pacify, make peace, appease, be reconciled, placate" (12c.), from the phrase a paisier "bring to peace," from a- "to" + pais, from L. pacem (nom. pax) "peace."
pacific: 1548, "tending to make peace," from M.Fr. pacifique, from L. pacificus "peaceful, peace-making," from pax (gen. pacis) "peace" + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Meaning "peaceful, calm" is first recorded 1633. The Pacific Ocean (1660) is from M.L. Pacificum, neut. of L. pacificus, so called c.1500 by Magellan when he sailed into it and found it calmer than the stormy Atlantic.
affray (n.): c.1300, "state of alarm produced by a sudden disturbance," from O.Fr. effrei, esfrei "disturbance, fright," from Gallo-Romance *exfridare, lit. "to take out of peace," from L. ex- "out of" + Frankish *frithu "peace," from P.Gmc. *frithuz "consideration, forbearance," from PIE base *pri- "to be friendly, love" (cf. O.C.S. prijati "to aid, help," Skt. prija- "beloved;" see free). Meaning "breach of the peace, riotous fight in public" is from 1482. Related verb afrey (early 14c.) survives almost exclusively in its pp., afraid (q.v.).
Absalom: masc. proper name, King David's son in O.T., often used figuratively for "favorite son," from Heb. Abhshalom, lit. "father is peace," from abh "father" + shalom "peace."
Vladimir: masc. proper name, from O.C.S. Vladimiru "Ruling Peace," from vlasti "to rule over" (from PIE *wal- "to be strong") + miru "peace" (see Mir).
Casimir: proper name, from Pol. Kazimir, lit. "proclaimer of peace," from kazac "to preach" + mir "peace" (see Mir).
Jerusalem: holy city in Palestine, from Gk. Hierousalem, from Heb. Yerushalayim, lit. "foundation of peace," from base of yarah "he threw, cast" + shalom "peace." Jerusalem "artichoke" is folk etymology of It. girasole "sunflower."
salaam: Muslim greeting, 1613, from Arabic salam (also in Urdu, Persian), lit. "peace" (cf. Heb. shalom); in full, (as)salam 'alaikum "peace be upon you," from base of salima "he was safe" (cf. Islam, Muslim).
Winfred: masc. proper name, from O.E. Winfrið, lit. "friend of peace," from wine "friend" (related to winnan "to strive, struggle, fight;" see win) + friðu "peace" (see free)
Sabine: "pertaining to a people in ancient Italy," 1387, from L. Sabinus (in poetic L. often Sabellus), connected by Tucker to root *sabh- "combine, gather, unite" (cf. Skt. sabha "gathering of village community," Rus. sebr "neighbor, friend," Goth. sibja, O.H.G. sippa "blood-relationship, peace, alliance," O.E. sibb "relationship, peace").
quorum: 1426, in ref. to certain eminent justices of the peace, from L. quorum "of whom," gen. pl. of qui (see who). The traditional wording of the commission appointing justices of the peace translates as, "We have also assigned you, and every two or more of you (of whom [quoram vos] any one of you the aforesaid A, B, C, D, etc. we will shall be one) our justices to inquire the truth more fully." The justices so-named were usually called the justices of the quorum. Meaning "fixed number of members whose presence is necessary to transact business" is first recorded 1616.
pacify: 1460, from M.Fr. pacifier, from O.Fr., "make peace," from L. pacificare "to make peace, pacify," from pacificus (see pacific). Pacifier "one who pacifies or appeases" is first recorded 1533; the meaning "nipple-shaped device for babies" is first recorded 1904.
Godfrey: male proper name, from O.Fr. Godefrei, from O.H.G. Godafrid (Ger. Gottfried), lit. "the peace of God," from O.H.G. got "God" + fridu "peace."
belfry: late 13c., "siege tower," from O.N.Fr. berfroi "movable siege tower" (Mod.Fr. beffroi), from M.H.G. bercfrit "protecting shelter," lit. "that which watches over peace," from bergen "to protect" + frid "peace." Originally a wooden siege tower on wheels ("free" to move); it came to be used for chime towers (mid-15c.), which at first often were detached from church buildings (as the Campanile on Plaza San Marco in Venice). Spelling altered by association with bell.
shalom: Jewish word of greeting, 1881, from Heb., lit. "peace," prop. "completeness, soundness, welfare," from stem of shalam "was intact, was complete, was in good health."
dar: Arabic word, lit. "house," used in place names, e.g. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, lit. "House of Peace."
Nobel: 1900, in ref. to five prizes (in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace) established in the will of Alfred Nobel (1833-96), Swed. chemist and engineer, inventor of dynamite. A sixth prize, in economics, was added in 1969.
constable: c.1200, from O.Fr. conestable, principal officer of the Frankish king's household, from L.L. comes stabuli, lit. "count of the stable" (established by Theodosian Code, c.438 C.E.), hence, "chief groom." Probably a translation of a Gmc. word. Meaning "an officer of the peace" is from c.1600, transferred to "police officer" 1836.
irenic: 1864, from Gk. eirenikos, from eirene "peace." Irenical "peaceful" is attested from 1660.
Janus: ancient It. deity, guardian god of portals, patron of beginnings and endings, 1508, from L., lit. "gate, arched passageway," perhaps from PIE base *ei- "to go" (cf. Skt. yanah "path," O.C.S. jado "to travel"). He is shown as having two faces, one in front the other in back. His temple in Rome was closed only in times of peace.
Frederick: from Fr. Frédéric, from Ger. Friedrich, from O.H.G. Fridurih, from P.Gmc. *Frid-ric, lit. "peace-rule." Not a common name in medieval England, found mostly in the eastern counties.
free (adj.): O.E. freo "free, exempt from, not in bondage," also "noble, joyful," from P.Gmc. *frijaz (cf. M.H.G. vri, Ger. frei, Du. vrij, Goth. freis "free"), from PIE *prijos "dear, beloved" (cf. Skt. priyah "own, dear, beloved," priyate "loves;" O.C.S. prijati "to help," prijatelji "friend;" Welsh rhydd "free"). The adverb is from O.E. freon, freogan "to free, love." The primary sense seems to have been "beloved, friend, to love;" which in some languages (notably Gmc. and Celtic) developed also a sense of "free," perhaps from the terms "beloved" or "friend" being applied to the free members of one's clan (as opposed to slaves, cf. L. liberi, meaning both "free" and "children"). Cf. Goth. frijon "to love;" O.E. freod "affection, friendship," friga "love," friðu "peace;" O.N. friðr, Ger. Friede "peace;" O.E. freo "wife;" O.N. Frigg "wife of Odin," lit. "beloved" or "loving;" M.L.G. vrien "to take to wife, Du. vrijen, Ger. freien "to woo." Sense of "given without cost" is 1580s, from notion of "free of cost." Of nations, "not subject to foreign rule or to despotism," it is recorded from late 14c. Freedman "manumitted slave" first recorded c.1600. Colloquial freeloader first recorded 1930s; free fall is from 1919, originally of parachutists; free-hand is from 1862; free-thinker is from 1690s. Freebie dates back to 1942 as freeby, perhaps as early as 1900. Free-for-all "mass brawl" (in which anyone may participate) first recorded 1881. Freebase (n. and v.) in ref. to cocaine first recorded 1980.
Humphrey: masc. proper name, from O.E. Hunfrið, probably from P.Gmc. *hun "strength" + O.E. frið "peace." To dine with Duke Humphrey (17c.) meant to go without a meal, though the reason for the expression now is obscure.
Salem: place mentioned in Gen. xiv.18, from Heb. Shalem, usually said to be another word for Jerusalem and to mean "peace" (cf. Heb. shalom, Arabic salaam). So common as a Baptist and Methodist meetinghouse name that by mid-19c. it (along with Bethel and Ebenezer) had come to be used in Britain generically to mean "non-conformist chapel."
Geoffrey: male personal name, from O.Fr. Geoffroi, from M.L. Galfridus, from O.H.G. gewi "district" + fridu "peace."
assiento: 1714, "contract between the King of Spain and another power" (esp. that made at the Peace of Utrecht, 1713, with Great Britain for furnishing African slaves to the Sp. colonies in the Americas), from Sp. asiento, from asentar "to adjust, settle, establish," lit. "to place on a chair," from a sentar, from L. sedens, prp. of sedere "to sit" (see sedentary).
defray: 1540s, from M.Fr. defraier, from des- "out" + fraier "spend," from O.Fr. frais "costs, damages caused by breakage," from L. fractum, neuter pp. of frangere "to break" (see fraction). Alternative etymology traces second element to O.H.G. fridu "peace."
requiescat: "name of a prayer for the repose of the dead," 1824, from L. phrase requiescat in pace (often abbreviated R.I.P.), lit. "may he begin to rest in peace," from inceptive of requies "rest, repose" (see requiem).
non-violent: 1920, in ref. to "principle or practice of abstaining from violence," first in writings of M.K. Gandhi, from non- + violent (see violence).
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence." [Gandhi, "Non-violence in Peace and War," 1948]
rugged: early 14c., "rough, shaggy, careworn" (originally of animals), from O.N. rogg "shaggy tuft" (see rug). "The precise relationship to ragged is not quite clear, but the stem is no doubt ultimately the same" [OED]. Meaning "strong, robust" is Amer.Eng., 1848.
"We were challenged with a peace-time choice between the American system of rugged individualism and a European philosophy of diametrically opposed doctrines -- doctrines of paternalism and state socialism." [Herbert Hoover, 1928]
Solomon: masc. proper name, Biblical name of David's son, king of Judah and Israel and wisest of all men, from Gk. Solomon, from Heb. Sh'lomoh, from shelomo "peaceful," from shalom "peace." The Arabic form is Suleiman. The common medieval form was Salomon (Vulgate, Tyndale, Douai); Solomon was used in Geneva Bible and KJV. Used allusively for "a wise ruler" since 1554.
fang: O.E. fang "prey, spoils, a seizing or taking," from gefangen, pp. of fon "seize, take, capture," from P.Gmc. *fango- (cf. O.N. fanga, Ger. fangen), from PIE base *pank-/*pak- "to make firm, fix;" connected to L. pax (gen. pacis) "peace." The sense of "canine tooth" (1555) probably developed from O.E. fengtoð, lit. "catching- or grasping-tooth."
dove (n.): probably from O.E. dufe- (found only in compounds), from P.Gmc. *dubon, perhaps related to words for "dive," from its flight. Originally applied to all pigeons, now mostly restricted to the turtle dove. A symbol of gentleness from early Christian times, also of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gen. viii.8-12); political meaning "person who advocates peace" first attested 1962, during Cuban Missile Crisis. Dovetail (v.) first recorded 1657, from resemblance of shape in the tenon or mortise of the joints (cf. dovetail joint, attested from 1565).
Dane: from Dan. Daner (replacing O.E. Dene (pl.)); used in O.E. of Northmen generally. Perhaps ult. from a source related to O.H.G. tanar "sand bank," in reference to their homeland. Applied 1774 to a breed of large dogs. Danegeld not known by that name in O.E., or until 1086, long after the end of the Viking depredations. Supposedly originally a tax to pay for protection from the Northmen (either to outfit defensive armies or to buy peace). Danelaw (c.1050) was the Danish law in force over that large part of England under Viking rule after c.878; the application to the land itself is modern (1837).
toga: 1600, from L. toga "cloak or mantle," related to tegere "to cover" (see stegosaurus). The outer garment of a Roman citizen in time of peace; toga prætexta had a broad purple border and was worn by children, magistrates, persons engaged in sacred rites, and later also emperors; toga virilis, the "toga of manhood," was assumed by boys at puberty. College fraternity toga party popularized by movie "Animal House" (1978), but this is set in 1962.
Acadian: 1705, from Acadia, Latinized form of Acadie, Fr. name of Nova Scotia, probably from Archadia, the name given to the region by Verrazano in 1520s, from Gk. Arkadia, emblematic in pastoral poetry of a place of rural peace (see Arcadian); the name may have been suggested to Europeans by the native Micmac (Algonquian) word akadie "fertile land." The Acadians, expelled by the English in 1755, settled in large numbers in Louisiana (see Cajun, which is a corruption of Acadian).
miter (1): "bishop's tall hat," c.1380, from O.Fr. mitre, from L. mitra, from Gk. mitra "headband, turban," earlier a piece of armor worn about the waist, from PIE base *mei- "to tie" (cf. Skt. Mitrah, O.Pers. Mithra-, god names; Rus. mir "world, peace," Gk. mitos "a warp thread"). In L., "a kind of headdress common among Asiatics, the wearing of which by men was regarded in Rome as a mark of effeminacy" [OED]. But the word was used in Vulgate to translate Heb. micnepheth "headdress of a priest."
pay (v.): c.1200, "to appease, pacify, satisfy," from O.Fr. paiier (12c.), from L. pacare "to please, pacify, satisfy" (especially a creditor), from pax (gen. pacis) "peace." Meaning "to give what is due for goods or services" arose in M.L., was attested in Eng. by early 13c.; sense of "please, pacify" died out in Eng. by 1500. Sense of "suffer, endure" (a punishment, etc.) is first recorded late 14c. Payday first attested 1520s. Payphone first attested 1936.
olive: c.1200, "olive tree," from O.Fr. olive, from L. oliva "olive, olive tree," from Gk. elaia "olive tree, olive," probably from the same Aegean language (perhaps Cretan) as Armenian ewi "oil." Applied to the fruit or berry of the tree in Eng. from late 14c. Olive branch as a token of peace is from early 13c.
pace (2): "with the leave of," 1863, from L. pace, abl. of pax "peace," as in pace tua "with all deference to you;" from PIE *pak- "to fasten" (see pax).
justice: mid-12c., "the exercise of authority in vindication of right by assigning reward or punishment," from O.Fr. justise, from L. justitia "righteousness, equity," from justus "upright, just" (see just (adj.)). The O.Fr. word had widespread senses, including "uprightness, equity, vindication of right, court of justice, judge." The word began to be used in English c.1200 as a title for a judicial officer. Meaning "the administration of law" is from c.1300. Justice of the peace first attested early 14c. In the Mercian hymns, L. justitia is glossed by O.E. rehtwisnisse.
fine (n.): c.1200, "termination," from O.Fr. fin "end," from M.L. finis "a payment in settlement, fine or tax," from L. finis "end" (see finish). Modern meaning is via sense of "sum of money paid for exemption from punishment or to compensate for injury" (c.1340, from the same sense in Anglo-Fr., 1292) and from phrases such as to make fine "make one's peace, settle a matter" (c.1300). Meaning "sum of money imposed as penalty for some offense" is first recorded 1529; the verb meaning "to punish by a fine" is from 1559.
Aquarius: late 14c., faint constellation and 11th zodiac sign, from L., lit. "water carrier," properly an adj., "pertaining to water," a loan-translation of Gk. Hydrokhoos "the water-pourer," old Gk. name of this constellation. Aquarians were a former Christian sect that used water instead of wine at the Lord's Supper. The modern sense of the word is from Age of Aquarius (1940) an astrological epoch supposed to have begun in the 1960s, embodying the traits of this sign and characterized by world peace and human brotherhood. The term and the concept probably got a boost in popular use when An Aquarian Exposition was used as the sub-name of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair (1969).
Irene: fem. proper name, from Fr. Irène, from L. Irene, from Gk. Eirene, lit. "peace."
youth: O.E. geoguð "youth," related to geong "young," from W.Gmc. *jugunthiz, altered from P.Gmc. *juwunthiz (cf. O.S. juguth, O.Fris. jogethe, M.Du. joghet, Du. jeugd, O.H.G. jugund, Ger. Jugend, Goth. junda "youth;" see young) by influence of its contrast, *dugunthiz "ability" (source of O.E. duguð). In M.E., the medial -g- became a yogh, which then disappeared. Youthful first attested 1561.
"They said that age was truth, and that the young
Marred with wild hopes the peace of slavery"
[Shelley]
liberty: late 14c., from O.Fr. liberté "freedom," from L. libertatem (nom. libertas) "freedom, condition of a freeman," from liber "free" (see liberal)
"The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure it is right." [Learned Hand, 1944]
Nautical sense of "leave of absence" is from 1758. To take liberties "go beyond the bounds of propriety" is from 1625. Sense of "privileges" led to sense of "a person's private land" (mid-15c.), which yielded sense in 18c. England and America of "a district within a county but having its own justice of the peace," and also "a district adjacent to a city and in some degree under its municipal jurisdiction" (e.g. Northern Liberties of Philadelphia).