appease
- 01 C1 Advanced
to satisfy a strong feeling like hunger or curiosity so it goes away.
to satisfy or allay a physical or psychological appetite or desire.
Simple“He ate a small snack just to appease his hunger until dinner was ready.”
In context“The explorer ventured into the uncharted jungle, driven by a lifelong need to appease his curiosity about ancient civilisations.”
Teacher's tipIn modern English, this sense is less common than the political or social sense of pacifying an opponent.
“Bragg said voters needed “ambitious policy for tomorrow, not micro-announcements for today that aim to please and appease”.”
“To appease children unaccustomed to spicy Indian food, Digvijaysinhji recruited and trained local cooks to prepare milder fare.”
From Middle English apesen, from Old French apeser (“to pacify, bring to peace”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.