satisfaire (French)

Where does "satisfaire" come from?

The French verb 'satisfaire' is inherited from Middle French 'satisfaire'[1], which developed as a partial calque of the Latin 'satisfacere' while adopting the conjugation of the verb 'faire'[2]. Through this journey, the word came to mean to satisfy, fulfil, or meet expectations.

Open questions

• The exact extent of the influence of Latin satisfacere on the formation of the Middle French term is a partial calque. [2]

Full etymology tree

• satisfaire (French), 'to satisfy'
  • inherited satisfaire (Middle French), 'to satisfy (in various contexts)'
    • calque satisfacere (Latin), 'present active infinitive of satisfaciō'
    • influenced by faire (Middle French), 'to do'
      • inherited faire (Old French), 'to do'

Ancestors

• satisfaire (Middle French)

Descendants and derived words

• satisfaction (French)
• satisfaisable (French)

Sources

1. satisfaire (French) - Wiktionary
2. satisfaire (Middle French) - Wiktionary
3. faire (Middle French) - Wiktionary

Updated September 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris