Pacific

See also: pacific, pacífic, and Pacífic

English

Etymology

From Latin pācificus (“peace-making”), so called by Magellan because he sailed peacefully over it after weathering Cape Horn.

Proper noun

the Pacific

1. The Pacific Ocean.
   • 1942 [1942 October 22], Kai-shek Chiang, “Endurance, conscientiousness”, in All We Are and All We Have‎^[1], New York: Chinese News Service, →OCLC, page 45:

     When our last plenary session was held in November of last year the Pacific was threatened with imminent outbreak of war. Since the subsequent beginning of the Japanese campaign of aggression in that ocean, China, in the company of her allies, has become the most important member of the forces fighting on the continent of East Asia.

2. A municipality of Franklin County, Missouri, United States.

Derived terms

• Asia-Pacific
• Indo-Pacific
• Pacific Rim
• trans-Pacific
• transpacific

 

Translations

Pacific Ocean — see Pacific Ocean

Noun

Pacific (plural Pacifics)

1. (rail transport) A steam locomotive of the 4-6-2 wheel arrangement.
   • 1951 April, Stirling Everard, “A Matter of Pedigree”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 273:

     Britannia's firebox would appear to have derived from those of the Bulleid Pacifics, which it closely resembles.

Adjective

Pacific (not comparable)

1. Related to the Pacific Ocean.

Derived terms

• Great Pacific Garbage Patch
• Indo-Pacific
• Pacific American
• Pacific Bermuda Triangle
• Pacific blackchin
• Pacific County
• Pacific Crest
• Pacific Daylight Time
• Pacific diver
• Pacific Heights
• Pacific herring
• Pacific Islander
• Pacific Islander American
• Pacific Islands
• Pacific koel
• Pacific loon
• Pacific maple
• Pacific Northwest
• Pacific rat
• Pacific Rim
• Pacific silver fir
• Pacific Standard Time
• Pacific Time
• Pacific tree frog
• Pacific yew

 

Translations

related to the Pacific Ocean

• Czech: pacifický (cs)
• Galician: pacífico (gl) m
• Hungarian: csendes-óceáni (hu)
• Polish: pacyficzny (pl)