n.

1. The absence of war or other hostilities.
2. An agreement or a treaty to end hostilities.
3. Freedom from quarrels and disagreement; harmonious relations: roommates living in peace with each other.
4. Public security and order: was arrested for disturbing the peace.
5. Inner contentment; serenity: peace of mind.

interj.

Used as a greeting or farewell, and as a request for silence.

idioms:

at peace

1. In a state of tranquillity; serene: She is at peace with herself and her friends.
2. Free from strife: Everyone wants to live in a world at peace.

keep (or hold) (one's) peace

1. To be silent.

keep the peace

1. To maintain or observe law and order: officers who were sworn to keep the peace.

[Middle English pes, from Old French pais, pes, from Latin pāx, pāc-. See pax.]

noun

1. Lack of emotional agitation: calm, calmness, peacefulness, placidity, placidness, quietude, serenity, tranquillity. See calm/agitation.
2. An absence of motion or disturbance: calm, calmness, hush, lull, peacefulness, placidity, placidness, quiet, quietness, serenity, stillness, tranquillity, untroubledness. See calm/agitation.

Idioms beginning with peace:
peace and quiet

In addition to the idiom beginning with peace, also see at peace; hold one's tongue (peace); keep the peace; leave someone in peace; make one's peace with; make peace.

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n

Definition: calm, serenity
Antonyms: agitation, distress, frustration, irritation, noise, upset, worry

n

Definition: harmony, agreement
Antonyms: agitation, conflict, disagreement, disharmony, distress, fighting, war

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Perhaps one of the most complex concepts in human history, peace has been used to refer to everything from “absence of war” to “equilibrium” to “a utopian state of spiritual and social harmony devoid of conflict.” These widely differing images are indicators of essential differences in ideology, culture, and perceptions of history. Understanding peace requires an acknowledgment of these different contexts as well as a willingness to explore those meanings with which we are less familiar.Ironically, the most familiar images of peace are perhaps the least helpful, as they consist of stereotypical assumptions that do not invite further examination of a complex phenomenon. These highly idealistic images generally depict peace either as the condition that exists when wars are suspended or terminated, or, conversely, as a harmonious world devoid of conflict. At best, such images provide faint shadows of peace rather than illuminate its essence. More often than not, they serve to lessen any interest in peace as a desirable or achievable state, either by devaluing it (a simple interlude between wars) or by ascribing unattainable, utopian preconditions to it (a world in total harmony without conflict). In the West, a common understanding of peace originates from the Latin pax, meaning “a pact or settlement to deter or end hostilities.” This meaning arises primarily in historical, political, and military contexts, which appear to be closely related. Given the fascination of Western historians with war, it is understandable that many continue to envision human history as a series of wars and respites from wars, and salient historical figures as warriors, military leaders, or heads of state who declare and prosecute wars against other states. Within this context, peace has come to be narrowly understood as the absence of war, the end of war, interludes between wars, or nonwar.

Accordingly, in American military history, the word peace essentially means “the absence of war.” Thus, militaries fight wars to “win the peace”—to bring about periods of nonwar through the use of force. In military paradigms, peace is seen as an ultimate or ideal goal rather than a means to an end. Those engaged in such wars tend to believe theirs will be the last, that the subsequent nonwar period of peace will be enduring, or that moments of nonwar are only interludes that will ultimately give way to future wars.

Related to this is what the Norwegian peace scholar Johan Galtung has termed negative peace, that is, the absence of war and “direct” violence. Under this kind of peace, many forms of “structural” violence (indirect, institutionalized violence) such as economic exploitation, racism, sexism, oppression, hunger, and poverty still exist.

Such narrow notions of peace say nothing about what peace is—only what peace is not. And they describe what it is not in terms of something with which we appear to be quite familiar: violence and war. Among other conclusions, we might infer from this that our knowledge about peace is at best very limited, since we seek to define it in terms of what it is not rather than what it is.

Related to this is the idyllic image of a world without conflict, pain, suffering, and struggle. Yet at all levels of human existence—from the interpersonal to the global—peace includes, rather than precludes, conflict. Conflict is a basic fact of life; thus, a world at peace will be full of conflict. What distinguishes a peaceful world, among other qualities, is the extent to which unnecessary conflict is prevented and all other conflict is managed in nonviolent ways. This idyllic image often arises out of a fundamental confusion surrounding conflict and violence. Conflict and violence are not synonymous terms: conflict can be violent, but it also can be nonviolent; it can be destructive and painful, but it also can be constructive and useful. Clarification of these concepts allows movement beyond the normative fear of conflict and negative associations with it. The existence of conflict in the future then becomes an understandable and acceptable fact of life, and the idyllic image of peace becomes unnecessary and unrealistic.

Although these shadow images of peace seem antithetical (i.e., they could be easily juxtaposed at opposite ends of a continuum depicting ideological views of peace), in fact, they have much in common with one another. Both types attempt to define peace in terms of (1) what is missing rather than what is present; and (2) one or two basic components (e.g., violence and conflict).

Once outside (Western) historical, political, and military contexts, however, peace means much more than the absence of a specific phenomenon, which it is not. For many scholars in peace studies and peace research, peace is much more than not‐war; it is much more than not‐ violence; and it is never seen as not‐conflict.

Essential Peace

If, instead, we begin with equally valid definitions of pax—and with pacific (from the Latin pacifico and pacificus, and the French pacifique)—we see a different face of peace altogether: one involving reaching agreement by negotiation (as opposed to the use of force); mediation; reconciliation; amity; calm; tranquility; or order—even “rejecting force as a means of achieving policy objectives.” Here it is important to acknowledge that peace can exist at every level of existence, from the intrapersonal (psychological, spiritual, etc.) to the global (political, sociological, environmental). Thus, generic definitions of peace become extremely problematic. Nonetheless, there is general agreement in peace research and peace studies on the broad parameters of peace.

Some peace researchers approach an understanding of what peace is by identifying the conditions necessary for it to exist. The following ideological and infrastructural conditions are not exhaustive by any means, but represent what many experts believe to be essential for peace to develop in the world: the presence of cultures of peace (vs. cultures of violence); the presence of justice (economic, social, and political); the shared democratic use of power (economic, social, and political) among people who govern themselves (“power with”) rather than the governance of the many by the few who have “power over” the many; the presence of economic and ecological sustainability; the nonviolent (vs. violent) management and resolution of conflict; the development of common security that does not rely on the threat or use of violence; the pursuit of collective and individual ends through nonviolence rather than violence; and the elimination of violence in all its myriad forms (including the “war systems” inherent in many nations). Each of these conditions requires a brief explanation.

The presence of cultures of peace refers to the social and cultural components (values, belief systems, ideologies, philosophies, theories, societal norms, etc.) that undergird and legitimate everyday life and the infrastructures we create to carry us into the future. Wars are not fought without ideologies that tell us that it is acceptable and justifiable to conduct them. The ubiquitous violence that exists in the media, in entertainment, in our schools, in our streets, and in our homes does not exist without belief systems that legitimate and encourage it. Similarly, peaceful relationships among individuals, groups, genders, classes, nations—as well as relationships between human beings and the rest of the nonhuman world—cannot exist without cultural values and ideologies that promote nonviolence, respect, and tolerance for everyone, especially those who are somehow different from us. In a culture of peace, for example, people would not be entertained by violence (nor would they seek to be entertained by it).

A fundamental ideological cornerstone of the violence surrounding us today is the idea that one's identity is primarily related to one's gender, race, national origin, political affiliation, economic status, religious ideology, or socioeconomic class. The result of this kind of identity formation is the grouping of people into “us” and “them.” Once a person or an ethnic group or a country is a “them,” they are less valuable, less important, and somehow less human than “us.” This is the first step toward dehumanizing “the other,” which in turn is the first step toward aggression and violence. Cultures of violence inculcate ideologies that give rise to the formation of these kinds of mutually exclusive identities. Cultures of peace, on the other hand, would embrace “species identity” and other inclusive forms of identifications with humanity, which Elise Boulding and Robert Jay Lifton have so eloquently examined in their research and writings.

The presence of justice at all levels (economic, social, and political) refers to the ways in which individuals and groups are treated by society and one another. While justice is a highly debated term, there is little disagreement that peace can exist without it. In particular, this is true because the existence of injustice implies ongoing structural violence against certain peoples or groups. As Johan Galtung notes, the Greek eirene, the Hebrew shalom, and the Arab salam take us beyond the Roman pax to an understanding of peace that includes “justice.” In this view, peace is not only the absence of all violence (including underlying structures of violence) but also the presence of justice (Galtung calls this positive peace).

The shared democratic use of power is relevant to all personal and social relationships, but especially to those in the arenas of governance, business, international relations, and global security. In his groundbreaking work Three Faces of Power, the American economist Kenneth Boulding identifies three basic forms of power (“threat,” “exchange,” and “integrative” power) and argues that integrative power is the most important of the three, as it is what gives rise to relationships of respect, love, friendship, and so on.

The presence of economic and ecological sustainability is essential because economic or ecological development that is not sustainable assumes dysfunctional levels of injustice and violence in the present moment and ultimately will lead to conflict, violence, and systemic imbalance. A peaceful world requires basic levels of security, which are ensured, in part, by stable economic systems and viable ecological relationships with the natural world.

The remaining four conditions fall within the category of nonviolence. While nonviolence can refer to anything (change, transformation, revolution) that happens not to be violent (as in the case of “nonprincipled nonviolence”), this term is used most often in peace studies to refer to the waging of conflict and the transformation of society through the power of active love. Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolence (ahimsa and satyagraha) was “the pursuit of truth through love.” The strength of nonviolence emanates from an understanding of the origins of power: all power derives from the consent of the governed. The political scientist Gene Sharp carefully explains that known histories of successful nonviolent struggle and conflict resolution date back to the fifth century B.C.

Peace requires the nonviolent management and resolution of conflicts for many reasons, not least of which is found in the shadow of peace, which defines peace as the absence of violence. Violence (from the Latin verb violare) means “to violate.” Violence can be verbal, psychological, emotional, and spiritual—as well as physical. It can be collective as well as individual.

As Duane Friesen makes clear, to do violence to someone is to violate the integrity of that person. Gandhi saw life as one long “experiment with truth,” wherein each person possesses a small piece of the truth and conflicts are the moments in which we learn from one another about our separate and collective truths. Waging conflicts violently, then, is the antithesis of being interested in the truth; it is a means to “win” a conflict temporarily—not to be right in the long run. For most in peace studies, violence cannot be seen as conflict resolution: it is, instead, only the violent waging of conflict for reasons that are legitimated by cultures of violence.

For the same reasons that nonviolent conflict resolution is necessary, peace also requires the development of nonviolent systems of common security; the nonviolent pursuit of collective and individual ends; and, ultimately, the elimination of all forms of violence, whether direct or indirect. Thus, for example, personal growth and individual success, interpersonal relationships, social change and transformation, and the conduct of international relations will need to be reenvisioned as nonviolent means and ends rather than accepted as status quo violent means and ends.

Peace Development

In the languages of Western culture, peace is a noun, not a verb. It is an object, a goal, a future state of being to be passively wished for and waited upon. No one “does” peace. Yet peace, like war, requires intensive preparation, organization, training, and education. It also requires immense resources and commitment. Peace will not exist without being developed and built from the ground up.

Peace development requires leaders: those who can envision a world without violence and design its blueprints. Peace development also requires actors who will transform the elements of nonpeace into the fabric of peace. The shadow of peace assumes that geopolitical entities called nation‐states are the fundamental units of analysis, and that the political and military leaders of these nation‐states are the primary actors and leaders. The development of essential peace, on the other hand, is not limited to nation‐states and their leaders. Rather, essential peace requires the effort of individuals, communities, local and regional governments, teachers, nongovernmental organizations, international nongovernmental organizations, networks, and the nontraditional loci of nonviolent power.

Since essential peace can exist at all levels of existence, from the spiritual to the global, the paths to its successful development are many: there is no one “right” path to peace and there is no one “right” leader who will take us to it. This awareness allows for everyone to contribute to the building of peace in their lives and in their communities. According to many Eastern religions and philosophies, peace at all levels of existence is interconnected. Therefore, the development of peace in one arena of the world may contribute to the development of peace in many arenas of the world.

[See also Pacifism; Peace and Antiwar Movements; Quakers.]

Bibliography

• Louis Fischer, The Life of Mahatma Gandhi, 1950.
• Mohandas K. Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1957.
• Joan V. Bondurant, Conquest of Violence: The Gandhian Philosophy of Conflict, 1958.
• Gene Sharp, The Politics of Nonviolent Action, 3 vols., 1973.
• Ira Sandperl, A Little Kinder, 1974.
• Kenneth Boulding, Stable Peace, 1978.
• James A. Schellenberg, The Science of Conflict, 1982.
• Duane Friesen, Christian Peacemaking and International Conflict: A Realist Pacifist Perspective, 1986.
• Ervin Laszlo and Jong Youl Yoo, eds., World Encyclopedia of Peace, 1986, 1989.
• Robert J. Lifton, The Future of Immortality and Other Essays for a Nuclear Age, 1987.
• Elise Boulding, Building a Global Civic Culture: Education for an Interdependent World, 1988.
• Sissela Bok, A Strategy for Peace, 1989.
• Kenneth Boulding, Three Tales of Power, 1989.
• David P. Barash, Introduction to Peace Studies, 1991.
• Michael Shuman and Julia Sweig, eds., Conditions of Peace: An Inquiry, 1991.
• Johan Galtung, Oxford Companion to Politics of the WSVW, 1993

[pēs]

n. 1. freedom from or the cessation of war or violence: the Straits were to be open to warships in time of peace.

2. a treaty agreeing to the cessation of war between warring states: support for a negotiated peace.

3. freedom from civil disorder: police action to restore peace.

keep the peace refrain or prevent others from disturbing civil order:

the police must play a crucial role in keeping the peace.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

n.

In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting.

    O, what's the loud uproar assailing
        Mine ears without cease?
    'Tis the voice of the hopeful, all-hailing
        The horrors of peace.
    
    Ah, Peace Universal; they woo it --
        Would marry it, too.
    If only they knew how to do it
        'Twere easy to do.
    
    They're working by night and by day
        On their problem, like moles.
    Have mercy, O Heaven, I pray,
        On their meddlesome souls!
                                                               Ro Amil

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IN BRIEF: Freedom from war or fighting. Also: Calm or quiet.

World peace must develop out of inner peace. — Dalai Lama

Quotes:

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God." - A Course In Miracles

"Harmony is one phase of the law whose spiritual expression is love." - James Allen

"Bullets cannot be recalled. They cannot be uninvented. But they can be taken out of the gun." - Martin Amis

"Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live." - Marcus Aurelius

"Right human relations is the only true peace." - Alice A. Bailey

"If the history of the past fifty years teaches us anything, it is that peace does not follow disarmament -- disarmament follows peace." - Bernard M. Baruch

See more famous quotes about Peace

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - fred, offentlig orden
int. - fred!

idioms:

• at peace    i fred med
• hold one's peace    holde mund
• keep one's peace    holde mund
• keep the peace    holde fred, ikke forstyrre den offentlige orden
• make one's peace with    slutte fred med
• make peace    stifte fred
• Peace Corps    fredskorps
• peace dividend    fredsdividende
• peace loving    fredselskende
• peace of mind    fred i sindet
• peace offering    tilbud om fred
• peace pipe    fredspibe
• rest in peace    hvil i fred

Nederlands (Dutch)
vrede, rust, vredesverdrag

Français (French)
n. - paix, l'ordre public, tranquillité
int. - paix (excl), silence (excl)

idioms:

• at peace    en paix
• hold one's peace    rester muet
• keep one's peace    maintenir la paix
• keep the peace    maintenir la paix, maintenir l'ordre public
• make one's peace with    faire la paix avec
• make peace    faire la paix
• Peace Corps    (US, Admin) organisation composée de volontaires pour l'aide aux pays en voie de développement
• peace dividend    économies sur le budget militaire réalisées depuis la fin de la guerre froide
• peace loving    pacifique
• peace of mind    tranquillité d'esprit
• peace offering    (Relig) offrande propitiatoire, gage de réconciliation
• peace pipe    calumet de la paix
• rest in peace    reposer en paix

Deutsch (German)
n. - Friede, Ruhe und Ordnung, Ruhe
int. - still!, ruhig!, pst!

idioms:

• at peace    in Frieden
• hold one's peace    schweigen
• keep one's peace    schweige
• keep the peace    die öffentliche Ordnung wahren
• make one's peace with    Frieden schließen mit
• make peace    Frieden schließen
• Peace Corps    Friedenskorps
• peace dividend    Friedensdividende
• peace loving    friedliebend
• peace of mind    innere Ruhe
• peace offering    Versöhnungsgeschenk
• peace pipe    Friedenspfeife
• rest in peace    in Frieden ruhen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ειρήνη, ησυχία, (δημόσια) τάξη, (πνευματική) γαλήνη

idioms:

• at peace    ειρηνικά, γαλήνια, σε ηρεμία, νεκρός
• hold one's peace    σιωπώ, προτιμώ να σωπάσω
• keep one's peace    σιωπώ, προτιμώ να σωπάσω
• keep the peace    αποφεύγω ή προλαμβάνω την κατάλυση της έννομης τάξης
• make one's peace with    συμφιλιώνομαι με, μονοιάζω
• make peace    ειρηνεύω, συμφιλιώνω/-ομαι
• Peace Corps    σώμα νεαρών εθελοντών που προσφέρουν υπηρεσίες σε χώρες του Τρίτου Κόσμου
• peace dividend    δημόσιες επενδύσεις από μείωση των κονδυλίων για την άμυνα
• peace loving    φιλειρηνικός
• peace of mind    εσωτερική γαλήνη
• peace offering    εξιλαστήριο δώρο, δώρο συμφιλίωσης
• peace pipe    πίπα της ειρήνης (έθιμο των ερυθρόδερμων)
• rest in peace    αναπαύσου εν ειρήνη

Italiano (Italian)
pace, calma, tranquillità

idioms:

• at peace    in pace
• at peace with    in pace con
• disturb the peace    disturbo della quiete pubblica
• hold one's peace    mantenere il silenzio
• keep one's peace    starsene zitto
• keep the peace    mantenere l'ordine
• make one's peace with    fare la pace con
• make peace    fare la pace
• Peace Corps    Corpo della Pace
• peace dividend    dividendi della pace
• peace loving    amante della pace
• peace of mind    tranquillità
• peace offering    offerta di conciliazione
• peace pipe    pipa della pace
• rest in peace    riposa in pace

Português (Portuguese)
n. - paz (f), serenidade (f), harmonia (f), reconciliação (f)

idioms:

• at peace    em paz
• at peace with    em paz com
• disturb the peace    perturbar a paz
• hold one's peace    ficar quieto
• keep one's peace    ficar quieto
• keep the peace    manter a paz
• make one's peace with    fazer as pazes com
• make peace    apaziguar
• Peace Corps    Corpo da Paz
• peace dividend    fundo do governo para fins de guerra/outros
• peace loving    amante da paz
• peace of mind    paz de espírito
• peace offering    sacrifício propiciatório (Rel.), oferta de paz
• peace pipe    cachimbo da paz
• rest in peace    descanse em paz

Русский (Russian)
мир, спокойствие

idioms:

• at peace    мирно
• at peace with    в мире с
• disturb the peace    нарушать спокойствие
• hold one's peace    хранить молчание
• hold/keep your peace    помалкивай
• keep the peace    поддерживать порядок
• make one's peace with    мириться с
• make peace    мириться
• Peace Corps    "Корпус Мира"
• peace dividend    польза для мира
• peace loving    миролюбивый
• peace of mind    душевное равновесие
• peace offering    искупительная жертва
• peace pipe    трубка мира
• rest in peace    да будет тебе земля пухом

Español (Spanish)
n. - paz, sosiego, tranquilidad, calma, armonía, tranquilidad de ánimo
int. - Paz!

idioms:

• at peace    estar en paz
• hold one's peace    guardar silencio
• keep one's peace    guardar silencio
• keep the peace    mantener el orden, mantener la paz
• make one's peace with    reconciliarse con, hacer las paces con
• make peace    hacer las paces, firmar la paz, poner paz
• Peace Corps    Cuerpo de la Paz
• peace dividend    beneficios económicos esperados al término de la Guerra Fría
• peace loving    amante de la paz
• peace of mind    tranquilidad de espíritu
• peace offering    ofrenda propiciatoria, oferta de paz, regalo hecho para hacer las paces con una persona
• peace pipe    la pipa de la paz
• rest in peace    que descanse en paz

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - fred, frid, lugn

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
和平, 和睦, 和约, 治安, 秩序, 祝平安!, 安静!

idioms:

• at peace    处于和平状态
• hold one's peace    闭口不说
• keep one's peace    住口, 闭嘴
• keep the peace    维护治安
• make one's peace with    言归于好
• make peace    媾和
• Peace Corps    和平队
• peace dividend    和平股息, 指冷战结束军备缩减而节约下来的资金
• peace loving    爱好和平的
• peace of mind    内心的宁静
• peace offering    友好赠品, 犹太人的谢恩祭, 谢罪礼物
• peace pipe    长管烟斗, 和平烟斗
• rest in peace    灵魂安息

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 和平, 和睦, 和約, 治安, 秩序
int. - 祝平安!, 安靜!

idioms:

• at peace    處於和平狀態
• hold one's peace    閉口不說
• keep one's peace    住口, 閉嘴
• keep the peace    維護治安
• make one's peace with    言歸於好
• make peace    媾和
• Peace Corps    和平隊
• peace dividend    和平股息, 指冷戰結束軍備縮減而節約下來的資金
• peace loving    愛好和平的
• peace of mind    內心的寧靜
• peace offering    友好贈品, 猶太人的謝恩祭, 謝罪禮物
• peace pipe    長管煙斗, 和平煙斗
• rest in peace    靈魂安息

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 평화, 강화조약, 치안 , 안심
int. - 평화롭다, 침묵하다, 침묵

idioms:

• at peace    평화롭게, 사이 좋게
• keep one's peace    항의하지 않다.
• keep the peace    평화를 유지하다
• make one's peace with    ~와 화해하다
• make peace    화해하다, 강화하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 平和, 和平, 講和, 平穏, 安心, 治安, 和解
v. - 静かになる

idioms:

• at peace    平和で, 安心して
• at peace with    安心して
• hold/keep your peace    沈黙を守る
• make one's peace with    仲直りする
• make peace    和解する
• Peace Corps    平和部隊
• peace dividend    平和の恩恵
• peace loving    平和を愛する
• peace of mind    安心
• peace offering    和平の贈り物, 酬恩祭の犠牲
• peace pipe    平和のパイプ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) سلم بين الأمم, سلام, هدوء, سكينه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שלום, שקט, שלווה, הפסקת המלחמה, סדר‬
int. - ‮ברכה לפרידה או בקשת שקט‬

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peace	Peace Sign
Peace Lily	bells of peace