placeo

Latin

Etymology

See the related plācō (“to appease, placate”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈpla.ke.oː/, [ˈpɫ̪äkeoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpla.t͡ʃe.o/, [ˈpläːt͡ʃeo]

Verb

placeō (present infinitive placēre, perfect active placuī or placitus sum, supine placitum); second conjugation, optionally semi-deponent

1. (with dative) to be pleasing or agreeable to; to please, to be nice; to be welcome or acceptable; to satisfy, suit (in a mental rather than a sensual way)

   Synonyms: gaudeō, ovō, exhilarō, grātulor, congrātulor, fruor

   Antonym: displiceō

   sibi placēre ― to be pleased with oneself, to act proud

   placet mihi ― I find this fine/nice

   sī dīs placet ― gods willing (literally, “if it pleases the gods”)

   placēns uxor ― dear wife

   hostia placens Deō ― a sacrifice that pleases God

   vidē sī satis placet ― see if this suits

   ita nōbīs placitum est, ut […] ― I thought it fitting to […]

   senātuī placet ― the Senate decrees

2. (with dative) to like (the dative should be translated as the subject in English)
3. to resolve, will, order, determine

   Synonyms: statuō, cernō, dēcernō, parō, cōnstituō

Usage notes

Designates pleasure in something that one finds agreeable, fitting, while libet refers to a pursuit of something desirable or pleasurable.

Contrasts with dēlectō (“to please the senses, delight, entertain”).

Conjugation

Conjugation of placeō (second conjugation, optionally semi-deponent)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	placeō	placēs	placet	placēmus	placētis	placent
	imperfect	placēbam	placēbās	placēbat	placēbāmus	placēbātis	placēbant
	future	placēbō	placēbis	placēbit	placēbimus	placēbitis	placēbunt
	perfect	placuī, placitus sum	placuistī, placitus es	placuit, placitus est	placuimus, placitī sumus	placuistis, placitī estis	placuērunt, placuēre, placitī sunt
	pluperfect	placueram, placitus eram	placuerās, placitus erās	placuerat, placitus erat	placuerāmus, placitī erāmus	placuerātis, placitī erātis	placuerant, placitī erant
	future perfect	placuerō, placitus erō	placueris, placitus eris	placuerit, placitus erit	placuerimus, placitī erimus	placueritis, placitī eritis	placuerint, placitī erint
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	placeam	placeās	placeat	placeāmus	placeātis	placeant
	imperfect	placērem	placērēs	placēret	placērēmus	placērētis	placērent
	perfect	placuerim, placitus sim	placuerīs, placitus sīs	placuerit, placitus sit	placuerīmus, placitī sīmus	placuerītis, placitī sītis	placuerint, placitī sint
	pluperfect	placuissem, placitus essem	placuissēs, placitus essēs	placuisset, placitus esset	placuissēmus, placitī essēmus	placuissētis, placitī essētis	placuissent, placitī essent
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	placē	—	—	placēte	—
	future	—	placētō	placētō	—	placētōte	placentō
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		placēre	placitum esse	placitūrum esse	—	—	—
participles		placēns	placitus	placitūrus	—	—	—
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		placendī	placendō	placendum	placendō	placitum	placitū

Derived terms

• complaceō
• displiceō
• placidus
• placitus

 

Related terms

• placere

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: plac
  • Romanian: plăcea
• Dalmatian:
  • placaro
• Italo-Romance:
  • Corsican: piacè, piacere, piaceri
  • Italian: piacere
  • Neapolitan: piacèr
  • Sicilian: pràciri (obsolete), piàciri (italianized)
• Padanian:
  • Emilian: piasair
  • Friulian: plasê
  • Ligurian: piâxéi
  • Lombard: piaxer, pciasè, plasì
  • Piedmontese: piasej (verb); piasì (noun)
  • Romansch: plaschair, plascher
  • Venetan: piaxer, piaçér, piasér
• Northern Gallo-Romance:
  • Franco-Provençal: plére, plaiser (verb); plèsir, pléjir (noun)
  • Lorrain: plare (verb), plagir (noun)
  • Norman: pllaisir
  • Old French: plaire, plaisir (see there for further descendants)
    • Middle French: plaire (verb), plaisir (noun)
      • French: plaire (verb), plaisir (noun)
  • Walloon: plaisi
• Southern Gallo-Romance:
  • Aragonese: placer
  • Old Catalan: plaer, plaser
    • Catalan: plaure (verb); plaer (noun)
  • Old Occitan: plazer
    • Occitan: plaire (verb); plaser (noun)

      Auvergnat: plaseir (noun)

      Gascon: plàser, plàder (verb)

      Limousin: plàser (verb)

• Ibero-Romance: (possibly semi-learned)
  • Old Leonese:
    • Asturian: placer
    • Leonese: plazer
    • Extremaduran: prazer
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: prazer
    • Galician: pracer
    • Portuguese: prazer, aprazer
  • Old Spanish: placer
    • Spanish: placer
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: piachere, piaghere, piazeri, piaceri, piasgè, plexeri, praxeri, praxei, prexeri, prexei, pregheri, prexu, paciurru, piciurru, peciurru
• Ancient borrowings:
  • → Basque: laket
  • → Proto-Albanian: *plakjɔnit
    • Albanian: pëlqej
• Modern borrowings:
  • →⇒ English: placebo

References

• “placeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “placeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• placeo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • what is your opinion: quid de ea re fieri placet?
    
  • (ambiguous) to be in a bad temper: sibi displicere (opp. sibi placere)
    

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /plaˈθeo/ [plaˈθe.o]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /plaˈseo/ [plaˈse.o]
• Rhymes: -eo
• Syllabification: pla‧ce‧o

Verb

placeo

1. first-person singular present indicative of placear