Word
Of
The
Day
satiate
satiate \SAY-shee-ayt\
verb
To satiate a need, desire, etc., is to satisfy it fully.
// The new restaurant’s menu promises to
satiate diners’ cravings for comfort food, offering fresh spins on classic, time-honored fare.
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Examples:
“Powell was one of scores of Taylor Swift fans and inquisitive passersby who braved the New York City heat Thursday to
satiate their curiosity about what many are calling the wedding of the century and the American equivalent of royal nuptials.” — Kaitlyn Huamani and Jake Offenhartz,
The Associated Press, 3 July 2026
Did you know?
The time has come at last to share the “sad” history of
satiate, by which we mean that the two words—
sad and
satiate—are etymologically connected, not that the details will have you reaching for the tissue box. Both
satiate and
sad are related to the Latin
satis, meaning “enough.” When we say our desire, thirst, curiosity, etc. has been satiated, we mean it has been fully satisfied (
satisfy being another
satis descendant)—in other words, we’ve had enough.
Satiate and
sate (believed to be an alteration and shortening of
satiate) sometimes imply simple contentment, but often suggest that having enough has dulled interest or desire for more, as in “Years of globe-trotting satiated their interest in travel.”