The largest ocean on Earth is the Pacific, whose name means “peaceful.” pac (also pax) means “peace.” A close neighbor, plac, means “please” or “calm”: a placid lake is calm. And the opposite of peace, bell, means “war”: a rebel wages war again.
Key idea
pac, pax = peace. plac = please, calm. bell = war.
The pac and plac words are about calming people down: to pacify is to make peaceful, to placate is to please someone angry, and to appease is to bring to peace (it comes through French pais, from pax). The bell words describe the opposite mood: belligerent (waging war, hostile) and bellicose (eager to fight).
The parts and their words
Words taken apart
| Word and meaning | Parts, and what they say |
|---|---|
| pacify to calm or bring peace to | pac peace + -ify to make → “to make peaceful” |
| appease to calm someone by giving them what they want | ap- to + pease peace → “bring to peace” |
| placate to calm someone’s anger by giving in a little | plac please + -ate → “to please (someone angry)” |
| placid calm and peaceful | plac calm + -id → “calm, pleasing” |
| implacable impossible to calm or satisfy | im- not + plac please + -able able to be → “not able to be pleased (or calmed)” |
| complacent too pleased with oneself to see dangers or the need to improve | com- thoroughly + plac please + -ent → “thoroughly pleased (with oneself)” |
| belligerent hostile and aggressive | bell war + ger wage + -ent → “waging war” |
| bellicose eager to fight | bell war + -icose full of → “full of war” |
Worked example: Use the parts
Nothing calmed the angry customer: not an apology, not a refund. He was implacable. What does the word mean?
- Take it apart: im- (not) + plac (please, calm) + -able (able to be).
- Literally: “not able to be calmed.”
- The sentence fits: nothing calmed him.
Answer: Impossible to calm or satisfy.
Meet the words
Common mistake
bell (war) is not the bell you ring, and not belle (a beautiful woman, from a different root). A belligerent person is warlike, not musical or pretty. Also, complacent (too pleased with oneself) is not complaisant (eager to please others).