Peace

How to spell peace

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce peace

What does peace mean?

1. nounA state of calm, quiet, or freedom from conflict and war.

Peace in a sentence

• After the storm, finally some peace and quiet.

• The treaty brought peace to both nations.

• I find peace in walking by the river.

• The quiet garden gave her a rare sense of peace in the afternoon.

• All we want is a little peace on Sunday morning.

Where does peace come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin pax (genitive pacis), which meant a binding agreement or treaty that ended fighting, and by extension the calm that followed. English took it up through Old French pais during the 1100s and 1200s, gradually replacing the native Old English frith for the same idea. The same Latin root survives in a whole family of relatives, including 'pacify', 'pact', and 'appease', all of which carry the sense of settling a quarrel. The 'ea' spelling reflects the Old French and Middle English vowel rather than the modern sound, which is why peace looks nothing like its homophone 'piece' despite sounding identical. Keeping the 'pea' in mind, as in a calm pea-green meadow, helps separate it from the 'pie' in piece.

How the word is built

• peace (from Latin pax, pacis: a state of calm and absence of war)

Words that sound like peace

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• piece: A part or portion of something, or a single item from a set or category.