irenic

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Ancient Greek εἰρηνικός (eirēnikós), from εἰρήνη (eirḗnē, “peace”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aɪˈɹɛnɪk/, /aɪˈɹiːnɪk/

  Rhymes: -ɛnɪk, -iːnɪk

Adjective

irenic (comparative more irenic, superlative most irenic)

1. (chiefly theology, in extended usage) Promoting or fitted to promote peace; conciliatory, non-confrontational; peaceful.
   • 2001, Hywel Williams, The Guardian, 30 Nov 2001:

     The idea that the Jews of the region are not genetically distinct from other peoples of the area should be an irenic insight.

   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin 2003, p. 199:

     The philosophes contrasted their own irenic calls for tolerance with the church's historical record as the perennial source of cruelty and fanaticism.

   • 2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin 2012, p. 343:

     The current comity between the United States and China […] is a recent reminder of the irenic effects of trade.

Related terms

• irenical
• irenicon
• irenics

Translations

Promoting or fitted to promote peace

• Bulgarian: миротворен (bg) (mirotvoren)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 和平的 (hépíngde)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: irénique (fr) m or f
• Italian: irenico (it) m

References

• “irenic”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

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