satisfacio (Latin)
Where does "satisfacio" come from?
The Latin verb 'satisfacio' is a compound formed by combining 'satis', meaning 'enough, sufficient', with 'facio', meaning 'to make, construct'[1]. The first element 'satis' derives from the Proto-Indo-European root '*seh₂-', meaning 'to satiate, be satisfied'[2]. The second element 'facio' traces back through Proto-Italic '*fakjō' to the Proto-Indo-European root '*dʰeh₁-', meaning 'to put, place, set'[3][4]. Together, these roots produced a Latin verb meaning 'to satisfy, content', 'to secure, pay off', or 'to apologize, make amends'.
Open questions
- The Proto-Indo-European roots and reconstructed forms such as '*seh₂-' and '*dʰeh₁-' are linguistic reconstructions. [2] [3] [4]
Full etymology tree
- satisfacio (Latin), 'to secure, pay off'
- compound satis (Latin), 'adequate, enough, plenty, satisfactory, sufficient'
- inherited *sh₂tis (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *seh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to satiate, satisfy'
- inherited *sh₂tis (Proto-Indo-European)
- compound facio (Latin), 'to do (particularly as a specific instance or occasion of doing)'
- inherited *fakjō (Proto-Italic), 'to make'
- derived *θakjō (Proto-Italic)
- inherited *dʰh₁k-yé-ti (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *dʰeh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to do'
- inherited *dʰh₁k-yé-ti (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *θakjō (Proto-Italic)
- inherited *fakjō (Proto-Italic), 'to make'
- compound satis (Latin), 'adequate, enough, plenty, satisfactory, sufficient'
Ancestors
- *seh₂- (Proto-Indo-European)
- satis (Latin)
- facio (Latin)
Descendants and derived words
- satisfy (English)
- satisfaire (French)
- satisfer (Catalan)
- satisfacer (Galician)
- satisfare (Italian)
- soddisfare (Italian)
- satisfazer (Portuguese)
- satisface (Romanian)
- satisfacer (Spanish)
Sources
- satisfacio (Latin) - Wiktionary
- satis (Latin) - Wiktionary
- facio (Latin) - Wiktionary
- fakjō (Proto-Italic) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris