propitiatory
Americanadjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- propitiatorily adverb
- unpropitiatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of propitiatory
1275–1325; (noun) Middle English propiciatori the mercy seat < Late Latin propitiātōrium ( propitiate, -tory 2 ); (adj.) < Late Latin propitiātōrius ( -tory 1 )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There was a brief Cabinet crisis, in which Premier Solh shuffled his ministers in a faintly propitiatory manner.
From Time Magazine Archive
Ancestors are invoked who around her as she starts the propitiatory dance.
From Time Magazine Archive
He then took her back to her husband, with a propitiatory present of furs and Indian corn, and many apologies and exculpations of his own honour.
From Sketches in Canada, and rambles among the red men by Jameson, Mrs. (Anna)
In his hand the Governor held a paper; his usually austere face wore a slightly propitiatory expression, while the eyes he turned upon her, as slowly he entered the room, suggested a respite of differences.
From The Lady of the Mount by Isham, Frederic Stewart
With the speed of lightning it approached the castle, and a voice, as of a bassoon, sounded from out the cloud: "Where are my propitiatory sacrifices?"
From The Diamond Fairy Book by Various
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.
