CALM  , an

adjective meaning peaceful, quiet; particularly used of the weather, free from wind or storm, or of the sea, opposed to rough . The word appears in French calme, through which it came into English, in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian calma . Most authorities follow Diez (Etym . Worterbuch der romanischen Sprachen) in tracing the origin to the Low Latin cauma, an adaptation of Greek Kai ia, burning heat, Kalew, to burn . The Portuguese calma has this meaning as well as that of quiet . The connexion would be heat of the day, rest during that period, so quiet, rest, peacefulness . The insertion of the 1, which in English pronunciation disappears, is probably due to the Latin color, heat, with which the word was associated .