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Synonyms

placate

1 American  
[pley-keyt, plak-eyt] / ˈpleɪ keɪt, ˈplæk eɪt /

verb (used with object)

placated, placating

  1. to appease or pacify, especially by concessions or conciliatory gestures.

    to placate an outraged citizenry.
    Synonyms:
    satisfy, conciliate
placate 2 American  
[plak-eyt, -it] / ˈplæk eɪt, -ɪt /
Also placcate,

noun

Armor.

  1. a piece of plate armor of the 15th to the 18th century protecting the lower part of the torso in front: used especially as a reinforcement over a breastplate.

placate British  
/ pləˈkeɪt /

verb

  1. (tr) to pacify or appease

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • placater noun
  • placation noun
  • unplacated adjective

Etymology

Origin of placate1

First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin plācātus, past participle of plācāre “to quiet, calm, appease,” akin to placēre “to please”; please

Origin of placate2

First recorded in 1625–35; apparently variant of placard

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.