I’ve looked in accredited dictionaries, but I cannot find any one that defines “docile” as meaning “calm.” I’ve heard and seen “docile” used to mean “calm,” like in “docile people”; and I know that it was used in this way because of the context I saw it in (I don’t remember where I saw this and it’s not verbatim):
“After having been offered complimentary drinks, the customers grew [became?] docile.”
Surely “docile” here does not mean easily taught or easily led or managed. In this context, the only valid definition of “docile” would seem to be “calm.” Where did this usage of “docile” arise from?
(I think a lot of people that use the word believe it means “calm.” I took a survey of about thirty people I know and all of them said they think docile means peaceful or calm.)
Best Answer
According to the generally accepted theory, docile entered the English language in the late 15th Century.
It came from the Latin docilis (via Italian or French), which means "easily taught" (from docere ("teach")).
However, in the 18th Century, it came to mean "obedient" and "submissive," and still does today.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/docile?s=t