placate | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

5 entries found.

"appease or pacify," 1670s, a back-formation from placation or else from Latin placatus "soothed, quiet, gentle, calm, peaceful," past participle of placare "to calm, appease, quiet, soothe, assuage," causative of placere "to please" (see please). Related: Placated; placating; placatingly.

implacable (adj.)

"unappeasable," early 15c., from Old French implacable, from Latin implacabilis "unappeasable," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + placabilis "easily appeased" (see placate). Related: Implacably.

placatory (adj.)

"conciliatory, intended to placate or appease," 1630s, from Latin placatorius "pertaining to appeasing," from placat-, past-participle stem of placare "to calm, appease, quiet, soothe, assuage," causative of placere "to please" (see please).

appease (v.)

c. 1300 "to reconcile," from Anglo-French apeser, Old French apaisier "to pacify, make peace, appease, be reconciled, placate" (12c.), from the phrase a paisier "bring to peace," from a "to" (see ad-) + pais, from Latin pacem (nominative pax) "peace" (see peace). Meaning "pacify (one who is angry)" is from late 14c.; for political sense, see appeasement. Related: Appeased; appeasing.

appeasement (n.)

mid-15c., appesement, "pacification," from Old French apaisement "appeasement, calming," noun of action from apaisier "pacify, make peace, placate" (see appease). First recorded 1919 in international political sense; not pejorative until the failure of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy toward Germany in 1939 (methods of appeasement was Chamberlain's description of his policy).

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