Peace: where binding becomes wholeness

‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.’ — Luke 2:14 (NIV)

Peace is one of the most familiar words in English, yet its history reaches deep into both language and faith. In Latin it meant a binding or fastening, an agreement that held people together. In the Greek of the New Testament it carried the sense of joining what was divided. And in Hebrew ‘shalom’ expressed wholeness, safety, and wellbeing.

This word card explores how these threads came together in English, where French, Latin, Greek, and Old English each shaped the meaning we use today. 

Each word card set begins with an image that captures the theme of the word. The following cards trace its story: a main word card (or two, if extended), a junior version with a paler border, an etymological breakdown showing how the word travelled through time, and a list of sources. Some sets also include cards for related words or translations across other languages. Together they show where each word came from, how it changed, and what it still carries with it.