Peaceful

How to spell peaceful

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce peaceful

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does peaceful mean?

1. adjectiveFree from disturbance, conflict, or noise; calm and tranquil.

Peaceful in a sentence

• The cottage offered a peaceful retreat from the busy city.

• The negotiators reached a peaceful settlement after months of talks.

Where does peaceful come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on 'peace', which entered English in the early 1200s through Old French 'pais', itself descended from the Latin 'pax', meaning calm or the absence of conflict. The same Latin root survives in words like 'pacify' and 'pact', all carrying the idea of an agreement that ends fighting. The native English suffix '-ful', meaning 'full of' or 'characterised by', was attached to give the sense 'full of peace'. The adjective is recorded from around the 1300s and has kept its meaning remarkably steady ever since. A useful spelling note: although '-ful' means 'full of', it is written with a single 'l' as a suffix, even though the standalone word 'full' has two.

How the word is built

• peace (from Latin pax: calm, absence of war)
• -ful (full of, characterised by)