pax
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pax
(păks)n.
1. Ecclesiastical
a. A small flat tablet adorned with a sacred image that worshipers kiss when offered the kiss of peace.
b. The kiss of peace.
2. Pax A time of wide-ranging stability when there is only a single dominant power. Used with a Latinized name: "Editorials lauding the civilizing influence of Pax Britannica were met with ... a crushing disinterest from most of the public" (Nisid Hajari).
[Medieval Latin pāx, from Latin, peace; see pag- in Indo-European roots. Sense 2, on the model of Late Latin pāx (Rōmāna), the Roman peace, state of security obtaining under Roman rule, alteration of Latin (Rōmāna) pāx.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pax
(pæks)n
(Roman Catholic Church) chiefly RC Church
a. a greeting signifying Christian love transmitted from one to another of those assisting at the Eucharist; kiss of peace
b. a small metal or ivory plate, often with a representation of the Crucifixion, formerly used to convey the kiss of peace from the celebrant at Mass to those attending it, who kissed the plate in turn
interj
school slang Brit a call signalling an end to hostilities or claiming immunity from the rules of a game: usually accompanied by a crossing of the fingers
[Latin: peace]
Pax
(pæks)n
1. (Classical Myth & Legend) the Roman goddess of peace. Greek counterpart: Irene
2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a period of general peace, esp one in which there is one dominant nation
[Latin: peace]
PAX
abbreviation for
(Telecommunications) private automatic exchange
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
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| Noun | 1. | pax - (Roman Catholic Church) a greeting signifying Christian love for those assisting at the Eucharist greeting, salutation - (usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting) Church of Rome, Roman Catholic Church, Roman Church, Western Church, Roman Catholic - the Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchy |
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