Pax

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pæks/

Definitions

1. A period marked by the absence of war or conflict between entities or groups
2. A span during which hostilities cease and tranquility is maintained
3. An interval characterized by the absence of armed conflict and general calm

Etymology: At Winchester College in Hampshire, schoolboys shouted "pax" to halt a fight or game and declare a truce, the Latin for peace turned into a playground call. The slang gave the word a jolly, rule-bound edge: once it was called, play stopped. The Latin "pax" meant peace, and it was the name of the state of calm that Rome celebrated as the "Pax Romana." The school usage borrowed that formal sense and shrank it to a momentary pause. The English noun in its wider sense, an interval without armed conflict, keeps the same core meaning, though the schoolyard call is the more colourful story.

Synonyms: peace, tranquility

Antonyms: conflict, war