I. ˈpaks, ˈpäks noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin, from Latin, peace — more at peace
1. : a tablet or board decorated with a figure or symbol of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint and customarily in medieval times kissed before the communion by the priest and then by the people
2.
a. : kiss of peace
b. : a liturgical greeting passed along from the celebrant of the mass shortly before the communion to the other officers of the mass and members of the liturgical choir
3. usually capitalized : a period of international history characterized by an absence of major wars and a general stability of international affairs usually resulting from the predominance of a specified political authority
during the Pax Britannica of the nineteenth century a vast empire of trade was built up — E.H.Jacoby
Pax Romana
4.
[Latin, interjection, finished! enough! from Greek, adverb, very well, enough; akin to Greek pēgnynai to fix, fasten together — more at pact ]
Britain — used as a cry for quarter to end a schoolboy fight
II. ˈpaks noun
( -es )
Etymology: by alteration
: pox