please

A1 Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled plase

US /pliz/ UK /pliːz/ See IPA manual

Freq #115

Meanings

1

adv
Used to make a request more polite.

Please pass the bread.
2

verb
To make someone happy or satisfied.

Her presentation pleased the executives.
3

verb
To want or choose to do something.

You can do as you please.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 verb · to make someone happy or... delight satisfy

3 verb · to want or choose to do... wish want

Word family

Forms pleasesunpleasing

Derived forms crowdpleasingmispleaseoutpleaseoverpleasepleasableplease-timepleasemanpleaserpleasingpleasysuperplease

Related forms pleasant pleasurable pleasure

Appears in

Proverbs (2)

See all

Simplified etymology

Please entered Middle English through Old French plaisir, “to please,” from Latin placere. Polite expressions such as “yes, please” were originally shortened forms of “may it please you” or “let it please you”; the standalone modern use was not yet known to Shakespeare.

Etymology

From Middle English plesen, plaisen, borrowed from Old French plaise, conjugated form of plaisir or plaire, from Latin placeō (“to please, to seem good”), from the Proto-Indo-European *pleHk- (“pleasingness, permission”). In this sense, displaced native Old English līcian, whence Modern English like.

plesen Middle English plaise Old French placeō Latin *pleHk- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# please

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** adv, verb
**IPA (US):** /pliz/
**IPA (UK):** /pliːz/
**Frequency rank:** 115

## Meanings
1. Used to make a request more polite.
2. To make someone happy or satisfied.
3. To want or choose to do something.

## Examples
- Please pass the bread.
- Her presentation pleased the executives.
- You can do as you please.

## Derived Forms
- crowdpleasing
- misplease
- outplease
- overplease
- pleasable
- please-time
- pleaseman
- pleaser
- pleasing
- pleasy
- superplease

## Related Forms
- pleasant
- pleasurable
- pleasure

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: plesen
- Root: plaise
- Root: placeō
- Root: *pleHk-

## Etymology
From Middle English plesen, plaisen, borrowed from Old French plaise, conjugated form of plaisir or plaire, from Latin placeō (“to please, to seem good”), from the Proto-Indo-European *pleHk- (“pleasingness, permission”). In this sense, displaced native Old English līcian, whence Modern English like.

## AI Etymology
Please comes from Middle English plesen, plaisen, borrowed from Old French plaise, conjugated form of plaisir or plaire, from Latin placeō (“to please, to seem good”), from the Proto-Indo-European *pleHk- (“pleasingness, permission”). In this sense, displaced native Old English līcian, whence Modern English like. In present-day English it covers used to make a request more polite, to make someone happy or satisfied, and to want or choose to do something. The wider family includes derived forms such as crowdpleasing, misplease, outplease, overplease, pleasable and related forms such as pleasant, pleasurable, pleasure.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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