English

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Verb

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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, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, published 1959, →OCLC:
      Watt decided in the end that an examination of Erskine's room was essential, if his mind was to be pacified, in this connexion.
    • 2000, “The Hollow”, performed by A Perfect Circle:
      Screaming feed me here
      Fill me up again
      Temporarily pacifying

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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