satisfy (v.)

early 15c., satisfien, "do penance," also "appease, assuage;" also "fulfill (a desire), comply with (a command), satiate (a hunger or thirst)," from Old French satisfiier "pay, repay, make reparation" (14c., Modern French satisfaire), from Latin satisfacere "discharge fully, comply with, make amends," literally "do enough."

This is from satis "enough" (from PIE root *sa- "to satisfy") + facere "to make, do, perform" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put").

From mid-15c. as "make amends, pay damages." The meaning "cause to have enough, supply the needs of" is by c. 1500. Of feelings, "meet or fulfill the wish, desire, or expectation of," late 15c. (Caxton). From 1510s as "assure or free from doubt or uncertainty, furnish with sufficient proof." The intransitive sense of "give satisfaction or contentment" is from c. 1600.

also from early 15c.

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dissatisfy (v.)

"render discontented, fall short of one's wishes or expectations," 1660s; see dis- + satisfy. Related: Dissatisfied; dissatisfying.

satisfaction (n.)

early 14c., satisfaccioun, "performance by a penitent of an act set forth by a priest or other Church authority to atone for sin," from Old French satisfaction (12c.), from Latin satisfactionem (nominative satisfactio) "a satisfying of a creditor," noun of action from past-participle stem of satisfacere "discharge fully, comply with, make amends," literally "to do enough" (see satisfy).

Originally religious and involving such acts as expiatory prayer, self-denial, charity. The sense of "contentment, appeasement" is from late 14c. but was not common before 16c. The sense of "action of gratifying" (an appetite or desire) also is from late 14c.; that of "gratified or contented feeling or state of mind" is from late 15c. (Caxton).

From 1580s as "information that answers a person's demands or removes doubt." Hence the specific sense "opportunity of satisfying one's honor by accepting a duel, etc., with the aggrieved person" (c. 1600).

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Trends of satisfy

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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satisfactory

mid-15c., satisfactorie, "expiatory, capable of atoning for sin," from Old French satisfactoire (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin satisfactorius, from Latin satisfactus, past participle of satisfacere "discharge fully, comply with, make amends," literally "do enough" (see s

gratify

c. 1400, "to bestow grace upon;" 1530s, "to show gratitude to," from Latin gratificari "to do favor to, oblige, gratify," from gratus "pleasing" (from suffixed form of PIE root *gwere- (2) "to favor") + combining form of facere "to make, do, perform" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set,

fulfill

Old English fullfyllan "fill up" (a room, a ship, etc.), "make full; take the place of (something)," from full (adj.), here perhaps with a sense of "completion" + fyllan (see fill (v.), which is ultimately from the same root). It was used from mid-13c. in reference to prophecy (p

insatiable

insatiabilis "not to be satisfied," from in- "not, opposite of" (from PIE root *ne- "not") + satiabilis, from satiare "fill full, satisfy...," from satis "enough" (from PIE root *sa- "to satisfy")....

saturate

1530s, "to satisfy, satiate, fill full" (senses now obsolete), from Latin saturatus, past participle of saturare "to fill...full, sate, drench," from satur "sated, full" (from PIE root *sa- "to satisfy")....

pay

c. 1200, paien, "to appease, pacify, satisfy, be to the liking of," from Old French paier "to pay, pay up" (12c., Modern...French payer), from Latin pacare "to please, pacify, satisfy" (in Medieval Latin especially "satisfy a creditor"), literally...

assets

deal," from Vulgar Latin *ad satis "to sufficiency," from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + satis "enough" (from PIE root *sa- "to satisfy...At first a legal word meaning "sufficient estate" (to satisfy debts and legacies), it passed into a general sense of "property...

verse

late Old English (replacing Old English fers, an early West Germanic borrowing directly from Latin), "line or section of a psalm or canticle," later "line of poetry" (late 14c.), from Anglo-French and Old French vers "line of verse; rhyme, song," from Latin versus "a line, row, l

serve

late 12c., serven, "to render habitual obedience to, owe allegiance to," also "minister, give aid, give help," from Old French servir "to do duty toward, show devotion to; set table, serve at table; offer, provide with," from Latin servire "be a servant, be in service, be enslave

sever

late 14c., severen, transitive, "cause a separation or division, put or keep apart," from Anglo-French severer, Old French sevrer "to separate" (12c., later in French restricted to "to wean," i.e. "to separate from the mother"), from Vulgar Latin *seperare, from Latin separare "t

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updated on January 01, 2022

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Dictionary entries near satisfy

satirize

satisfaction

satisfactory

satisfice

satisfied

satisfy

satisfying

satispassion

sativa

satori

satrap