pax

Where does the word "pax" come from? It comes from Latin pāx, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Pax’s story begins in Latin: pāx meant “peace.” Peace; 'Pax Romana' named the long peace under Augustus. It reached English by 1400s as pax. The tablet kissed in church at the 'kiss of peace'; British schoolboys later cried 'pax!' to call a truce, and 'Pax Americana' followed 'Pax Britannica' in the 1900s. Today, pax means peace; a kiss of peace; a call for truce.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient pāx "peace", peace; 'Pax Romana' named the long peace under Augustus.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s pax "peace", the tablet kissed in church at the 'kiss of peace'; British schoolboys later cried 'pax!' to call a truce, and 'Pax Americana' followed 'Pax Britannica' in the 1900s.