Placid

Placid is an English adjective meaning calm, peaceful, or undisturbed. It derives from the Latin placidus, meaning gentle or agreeable, and is used to describe weather, landscapes, temperaments, or moods that are tranquil.

As a proper noun, Placid most often appears in the name Lake Placid, a lake in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. The village of Lake Placid sits at the north end of the lake within the town of North Elba in Essex County. Lake Placid is renowned for winter sports and hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1932 and 1980; notable facilities include the Olympic Center and the surrounding Adirondack scenery.

As a person’s name, Placid has historical use in Christian hagiography and Latin-derived given names such as Placide. In Catholic tradition, Saint Placid is cited as one of the early Benedictine monks, a companion of Saint Maurus and pupil of Saint Benedict, revered as a saint in some rites.

The word placid also exists as a common descriptor for calm, quiet conditions or dispositions, and forms related terms such as placidity or placidly that express serenity in nature or character.