Satisfies

How to spell satisfies

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce satisfies

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does satisfies mean?

1. verbMeets a need, desire, or requirement, or makes someone content.

Satisfies in a sentence

• The new contract satisfies both parties.

• A hearty breakfast satisfies her until lunchtime.

Where does satisfies come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the third-person singular form of the verb satisfy, which traces back to the Latin satisfacere, meaning 'to do enough' or 'to content'. That verb was a compound of satis, meaning 'enough', and facere, meaning 'to make' or 'to do', so the literal idea was that of doing enough to settle a claim or a debt. English took the word in during the 1400s by way of Old French satisfier, and the early sense was a legal and financial one: to pay what was owed or to make amends. From that notion of settling a debt the meaning broadened to fulfilling a desire, an obligation, or a requirement. The satis part also hides inside 'satiate' and 'sate', and remembering that buried Latin 'enough' explains why the word is spelled with an 'i' rather than the 'e' sound many writers expect.

How the word is built

• satis- (from Latin satis: enough)
• -fy (from facere: to make)
• -es (third-person singular)