English
peace
Peace comes from Middle English pees, from Anglo-Norman peis and Old French pais, from Latin pāx ‘peace’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peh₂ḱ-‘to fasten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*péh₂ḱsreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pāksreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpāx
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400pais
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400peis
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500pees
- Englishearliest quotation 1611peace
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peh₂ḱ-‘to fasten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*péh₂ḱsreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pāksreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpāx
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400pais
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400peis
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500pees
- Englishearliest quotation 1611peace
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “*Thinke not that I am come to ſend peace…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ- ‘to fasten, stick, place’
fair, pact, fang, fay, gaffe, 8 more
through Latin pāx
pace, repay, pax, pacifist, pacifism, pogue, 5 more
through Old French pais
Today it means
noun A state of tranquility, quiet, and harmony. For instance, a state free from civil disturbance.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ- / peace