becalmed
2
8.2
- adjective
- /bɪˈkɑːlmd/
- With no wind in sight, the fleet remained becalmed until morning.
Examples
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The ship was becalmed in the middle of the ocean.
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The sailing ship was becalmed for hours, stranded in the middle of the ocean.
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Many sailors dreaded being becalmed on long voyages, fearing delays and shortages.
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After hours of waiting, we found ourselves becalmed.
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The sailing boat was becalmed in the middle of the lake, drifting gently in the sunlight.
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After several hours without a breeze, the crew realized they were becalmed and would have to wait for the wind to fill the sails.
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As the storm passed, the yacht became becalmed, leaving the sailors with no way to navigate back to shore.
How Windy
Surface Forms
Morphology
becalmed = becalm (transparent) = be + calm + ed
The verb 'becalm' (be- + calm) is a regular verb and adding '-ed' forms the adjectival/past-participle 'becalmed', a transparent morphological step.
Etymology
Becalmed comes from the verb parts be- (a prefix that can mean 'make') and calm ('still' or 'quiet'). So a ship is becalmed when it is 'made still' by 'no wind', which is why the word means being unable to move at sea.