Home › Glossary › Letter C

calm

Nautical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A state of the sea with no wind, often leaving sailing ships motionless and becalmed.

Detailed Definition
The calm is the sea's silence, a glassy, windless expanse that is often more terrifying than a storm for the sailing vessel. In poetry, it symbolizes stagnation, waiting, and the paralysis of will. The becalmed ship is trapped in a mirror of its own reflection, unable to advance, prey to boredom and the slow decay of provisions. Poets use the calm to discuss the agony of inaction, the suffocating weight of time when no progress is possible, and the spiritual drought that precedes any renewal. Its sudden breaking, when the first cat's-paw appears, is a moment of exquisite relief and hope.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The night is clear, the sky is fair, the wave is resting on the ocean” (Calm at Sea).; “The ocean is calm, and the winds are asleep, there is not a wave on the face of the deep” (from a ballad).; “In the morning I saw three great ships almost motionless becalmed on an infinite horizon” (John Gould Fletcher).; The calm in poetry symbolizes stagnation, waiting, and the paralysis of will.; A becalmed ship is trapped in a mirror of its own reflection, unable to advance.; The calm’s breaking, when the first cat’s-paw appears, is a moment of exquisite relief and hope.
Additional Notes
The calm, or a dead calm, is a state of windlessness that leaves a sailing ship helpless, and in poetry it is a terrifying antagonist as much as a storm. It symbolizes stagnation, paralysis, and the agony of inaction, where all agency is lost and time seems to stop. Unlike a storm's violent action, the calm is a passive, insidious enemy that slowly drains hope and resources. Poets use the calm to explore themes of waiting, despair, and the suffocating weight of immobility. The becalmed ship is trapped in a mirror of its own reflection, unable to advance, and this imagery serves as a potent metaphor for creative block, spiritual drought, or the paralysis of will. The sudden appearance of a cat's-paw—the first ripple of wind—is a moment of exquisite relief and revived hope.
Also Known As
Dead calm flat calm glassy sea windless Lown Peaceful Placid Quiescent Serene Subdued Tranquil Tranquillitas tranquillity stilly
Skip to main content