Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

placate

/pləˈkeɪt/ verb

In Latin: pācificō Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about placate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of.
She managed to mollify the angry customer

Origin

First attested in the late 17ᵗʰ century; borrowed from Latin plācātus, perfect passive participle of plācō (“appease, placate”, literally “smooth, smoothen”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more), ultimately thought to be from Proto-Indo-European *plāk- (“smooth, flat”), from *pele- (“broad, flat, plain”). Related to Latin placeō (“appease”), Old English flōh (“flat stone, chip”). More at please.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word