placare

Placare is a term found in Latin and Romance languages with meanings related to pleasing, appeasing, or calming. In Latin, the primary verb is placere (to please), while placare appears mainly in later or Romance-language adaptations as an infinitive form or derivative verb. In Italian, placare is a standard first-conjugation verb meaning to placate, calm, or appease.

Etymology and related forms derive from the Latin root plac-, connected to the idea of pleasing or satisfying. In English, the related verb placate and the noun placation come from Latin placatus via French and other intermediaries; placare itself is rarely used in modern English outside linguistic or philological discussion.

Usage in Italian involves a regular inflection: io placo, tu plachi, lui/lei placa, noi placiamo, voi placate, loro placano. It is employed in contexts such as calming emotions, soothing tensions, or satisfying demands. For example, phrases like placare la rabbia or placare le proteste are common in contemporary Italian.

In English-language references, placare is typically encountered only as a borrowed or quoted form in discussions of Latin or Romance linguistics. It is not a standard English verb, and ordinary English usage more often employs placate, appease, or soothe instead.

See also: placate, placation, placatory, placere, placere in Latin, plac- root in romance languages.