Etymologically
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placo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈpɫaː.koː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈplaː.ko][1]

Forms

plācō (present infinitive plācāre, perfect active plācāvī, supine plācātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is related to placeō “to please”, from which the OLD derives it.[2][1] The deeper origin is uncertain: Pokorny's link with Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat”) is rejected by de Vaan, who suggests Proto-Indo-European *pleHk- (“to please”), with only Tocharian relatives.[1] Lewis and Short call it of doubtful origin.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of placating someone.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to make favourably disposed someone hostile or offended, conciliate, placate, as Terence's “that she be reconciled to us”, to try to placate, as in Lucilius, and to reconcile with someone, as in Cicero.[2][3] It meant to calm, soothe the mind, as in Terence, to calm storms, as in Lucretius, and to appease passions and appetites, as Cicero's appeasing of the plebs with games and of anger.[2][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to pacify, appease, make atonement.[6] Italian placare and Spanish placar are borrowings.[1] English placate came in the 1670s.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of placating.[2][4]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of reconciling and soothing.[2][3][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of appeasing the plebs.[5][4]
  • 1670s – English placate is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To placate, conciliate.[2]
  2. To reconcile.[2]
  3. To calm, soothe.[2]
  4. To appease (passions).[2]

Word family

  • complācō
  • deplaco
  • implācātus
  • plācābilis
  • plācāmen
  • plācāmentum
  • plācātiō
  • placatorius
  • placatrix
  • supplex
  • plācātus
  • implācābilis

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com