Etymologically
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satisfaction

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /sætɪsˈfækʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English satisfaccioun, borrowed from Old French satisfaction and directly borrowed from Latin satisfactio (“a satisfying of a creditor; reparation, amends”),[2][3][4] from satisfacere, to satisfy, literally to do enough (see satisfy).[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Church, the performance by a penitent of acts set by a priest to atone for sin: before 1300 in the OED, before 1325 in Barnhart, the early 14th century in Etymonline.[5][2][3]

Semantic evolution

Originally religious, it involved expiatory prayer, self-denial and charity.[3] Christ's atonement for sin is from about 1380,[5][6] and the payment in full of a debt from about 1400.[5] Contentment or appeasement is from the late 14th century, found in the Wycliffe Bible, but was not common before the 16th century;[3][2] a gratified state of mind is from the late 15th century, in Caxton.[3] Information that removes doubt is from the 1580s,[3] and the chance to satisfy one's honour in a duel from 1602.[5][3]

Timeline

  • before 1300 – penance.[5]
  • c. 1380 – Christ's atonement.[5]
  • before 1382 – contentment.[2]
  • c. 1400 – payment of a debt.[5]
  • 1602 – satisfaction by a duel.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Fulfilment of one's wishes or needs, or the pleasure this gives; contentment.
  2. Compensation for a wrong or injury.
  3. The payment of a debt or fulfilment of an obligation.
  4. Convincing evidence or certainty: proved to the court's satisfaction.

Word family

  • satisfactional
  • satisfactionless
  • dissatisfaction
  • nonsatisfaction
  • undersatisfaction
  • self-satisfaction
  • satisfy
  • satisfactory
  • sated
  • satiate
  • saturate

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press