Both Uses of
passive
in
Leaves of Grass
- Me Imperturbe
Me imperturbe, standing at ease in Nature,
Master of all or mistress of all, aplomb in the midst of irrational things,
Imbued as they, passive, receptive, silent as they,
Finding my occupation, poverty, notoriety, foibles, crimes, less
important than I thought,
Me toward the Mexican sea, or in the Mannahatta or the Tennessee,
or far north or inland,
A river man, or a man of the woods or of any farm-life of these
States or of the coast, or the lakes or Kanada,
Me wherever my life is lived, O to be self-balanced for contingencies,
To confront night, storms, hunger, ridicule, accidents, rebuffs, as
the trees and animals do.†Chpt 1
- The female contains all qualities and tempers them,
She is in her place and moves with perfect balance,
She is all things duly veil'd, she is both passive and active,
She is to conceive daughters as well as sons, and sons as well as daughters.†Chpt 4 *
Definitions:
-
(1)
(passive) accepting what happens without trying to take control or reacting strongly
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More specialized and less common senses of the word are found in grammar, chemistry, physics, electronics, and communications. Consult a comprehensive dictionary if you wish to see those. All senses have to do with inactivity.