appeasement
UK[əˈpiːzmənt]US[əˈpiːzmənt]
n
the action or process of appeasing.
n
a policy of giving in to aggressive demands in order to avoid conflict, often associated with weakness.
Morpheme Breakdown
appease
ment
appease
to pacify
ment
noun suffix
Etymology
the word 'appeasement' is built upon the verb 'appease', which entered english from old french 'apaisier', meaning 'to pacify, make peace'. this french term itself derives from the vulgar latin 'appacare', a compound of the latin prefix 'ad-' (meaning 'to') and the noun 'pax, pacis' (meaning 'peace'). the suffix '-ment', of latin origin via french, is added to verbs to form nouns denoting the action or result of that verb. thus, the literal construction is "the process of bringing to peace." while the core idea of pacification remains, the term gained a specific and often negative political connotation in the 20th century following the policy of making concessions to aggressive powers prior to world war ii, shifting its nuance from general pacification to a potentially shortsighted and weak avoidance of conflict.
Analysis
Structure: appease (to pacify) + ment (noun suffix)
appease (from old french 'apaisier', ultimately from latin 'ad-' (to) + 'pax' (peace)); ment (a noun-forming suffix of latin origin via french, indicating an action, process, or resulting state).
Examples
the policy of appeasement towards the expansionist regime failed to prevent war.
his appeasement of the angry crowd only delayed the inevitable confrontation.
critics accused the government of appeasement for agreeing to the unreasonable demands.