Where does “unsatisfactory” come from?
Unsatisfactory derives from English un- plus satisfactory, which comes from Latin satisfacere, combining satis (enough) and facere (to make or do), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- meaning to place or put.
unsatisfactory (English): inadequate, substandard or not satisfactory
Definitions
- inadequate, substandard or not satisfactory
Ancestry of “unsatisfactory”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | satisfactory | Done to satisfaction; adequate or sufficient;... |
| 2 | Middle French | satisfactoire | — |
| 3 | Late Latin | satisfactorius | — |
| 4 | Latin | satisfactus | satisfied |
| 5 | Latin | satisfacere | present active infinitive of satisfaciō |
| 6 | French | faire | to do |
| 7 | Middle French | faire | to do; to make; to choose; to elect |
| 8 | Old French | faire | to do |
| 9 | Latin | faciō | to do |
| 10 | Latin | -torium | nominative neuter singular of -tōrius; accusative... |
| 11 | Latin | -tōrius | ory |
| 12 | Latin | -tor | -er |
| 13 | Proto-Italic | -tōr | Forms agent nouns to verb stems |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |