pacify

English

Etymology

From Middle French pacifier, from Latin pāx (“peace”) + faciō (“I do, make”). Cognate with pay and peacify.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpæsɪfaɪ/, /ˈpæsəfaɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: passify

Verb

pacify (third-person singular simple present pacifies, present participle pacifying, simple past and past participle pacified)

1. (transitive) To bring peace to (a place or situation), by ending war, fighting, violence, anger or agitation.
2. (transitive) To appease (someone).
   • 1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, Olympia Press:

     Watt decided in the end that an examination of Erskine's room was essential, if his mind was to be pacified, in this connexion.

Synonyms

• allay, locarnize, peacify, repacify

Derived terms

• pacifier, repacify

Related terms

• pacific
• pacifier
• pacifism
• pacifist
• pacifistic
• passive
• peace

 

Translations

bring peace, ending fighting

• Armenian: խաղաղել (hy) (xaġaġel), խաղաղեցնել (hy) (xaġaġecʿnel)
• Asturian: apanguar
• Bulgarian: умиротворявам (bg) (umirotvorjavam)
• French: pacifier (fr)
• Galician: pacificar (gl)
• German: befrieden (de)
• Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌸𐍉𐌽 (gafriþōn)
• Greek: κατευνάζω (el) (katevnázo)
• Ido: pacigar (io)
• Irish: ceansaigh
• Italian: pacificare (it)
• Japanese: 鎮める (ja) (shizumeru)
• Latin: pācificō, pācō (la)
• Maori: whakamārie, whakamāriri, whakamāhaki, whakamahuru, whakarangimārie, whakangehe
• Old English: stillan
• Persian: خواباندن‎ (fa) (xwâbândan) (of fighting or anger, informal), فرونشاندن‎ (fa) (foru-nešândan) (of anger, formal)
• Portuguese: pacificar (pt)
• Sicilian: appaciari
• Spanish: pacificar (es), apaciguar (es)
• Swedish: pacificera (sv)

appease

• Bulgarian: укротявам (bg) (ukrotjavam), успокоявам (bg) (uspokojavam)
• German: friedlich stimmen
• Maori: whakaepaepa