Satisfy

How to spell satisfy

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce satisfy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does satisfy mean?

1. verbTo meet a person's needs, expectations, or desires, or to fulfil a requirement or condition.

Satisfy in a sentence

• The new menu should satisfy even the fussiest diners.

• These documents satisfy the legal requirements for the visa.

Where does satisfy come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin satisfacere, meaning literally 'to do enough' or 'to make enough', built from satis 'enough' and facere 'to do or make'. In Roman usage it often carried the practical sense of paying a debt or making amends, doing enough to discharge an obligation. English took it through Old French satisfier in the late 1300s, where it kept that idea of meeting a demand or fulfilling a claim. Over time the meaning broadened from settling debts to the modern sense of contenting a person or fulfilling a need or condition. The same satis root survives in 'satisfactory' and even in 'sate' and 'satiate', all carrying the buried notion of 'enough', while the -fy ending it shares with words like 'simplify' and 'clarify' is the everyday English form of that Latin facere.

How the word is built

• satis- (from Latin satis: enough)
• -fy (from facere: to make/do)