Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Quiet; composed; placid; serene; serious; undisturbed by passion: as, a sedate temper or deportment.
  • Synonyms Imperturbable, serious, staid.
  • To calm; compose.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Undisturbed by passion or caprice; calm; tranquil; serene; not passionate or giddy; composed; staid.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective in a composed and temperate state.
  • verb to tranquilize by giving a sedative; to calm; to soothe; to induce sleep.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective characterized by dignity and propriety
  • verb cause to be calm or quiet as by administering a sedative to
  • adjective dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin sedatum, past participle of sedare ("to settle"), causative of sedere ("to sit").

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