entry
satisfactory
/ˌsætɪsˈfæktəri/Adequate or pleasing enough to meet requirements
From Latin satis (enough) + Latin facere (to do).
from Latin satisfactus, past participle of satisfacere "discharge fully, comply with, make amends," literally "
+1 more sourcefrom Medieval Latin satisfactorius
from Old French satisfactoire (14c.) and directly
from Latin satisfactus, past participle of satisfacere "discharge fully, comply with, make amends," literally "
+1 more sourcefrom Medieval Latin satisfactorius
from Old French satisfactoire (14c.) and directly
Word Ancestry
from Latin satisfactus, past participle of satisfacere "discharge fully, comply with, make amends," literally "
+1 more sourcefrom Medieval Latin satisfactorius
from Old French satisfactoire (14c.) and directly
from Latin satisfactus, past participle of satisfacere "discharge fully, comply with, make amends," literally "
+1 more sourcefrom Medieval Latin satisfactorius
from Old French satisfactoire (14c.) and directly
At first, “satisfactory” had a surprisingly solemn job: in the mid-15th century it meant something capable of atoning for sin. Its Latin engine was satisfacere, literally “do enough,” built from satis (“enough”) and facere (“to do”). The same facere family gives us factory and manufacture, while satis turns up in satiate—so a word now used for a passable report card once carried the weight of making amends. By the 1630s, the adjective had broadened to mean adequate for the demands of a case; by the 1660s, it could also mean genuinely gratifying. Think of it as a small linguistic upgrade from “enough to answer for your sins” to “good enough to get the job done.”
The Story
At first, “satisfactory” had a surprisingly solemn job: in the mid-15th century it meant something capable of atoning for sin. Its Latin engine was satisfacere, literally “do enough,” built from satis (“enough”) and facere (“to do”). The same facere family gives us factory and manufacture, while satis turns up in satiate—so a word now used for a passable report card once carried the weight of making amends. By the 1630s, the adjective had broadened to mean adequate for the demands of a case; by the 1660s, it could also mean genuinely gratifying. Think of it as a small linguistic upgrade from “enough to answer for your sins” to “good enough to get the job done.”
Kin & Kindred
From 'satis'·enough, sufficiently
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'facere'·to do, make
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary