pac ‧ i ‧ fy /ˈpæsəfaɪ, ˈpæsɪfaɪ/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle pacified , present participle pacifying , third person singular pacifies ) [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ peace , ↑ peacefulness , ↑ pacifier , ↑ pacifism , ↑ pacifist ; adjective : ↑ peaceful , ↑ peaceable , ↑ pacifist ; adverb : ↑ peacefully , ↑ peaceably ; verb : ↑ pacify ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: pacificare , from pax ; ⇨ ↑ peace ]
1 . to make someone calm, quiet, and satisfied after they have been angry or upset:
‘You’re right,’ Rita said, in order to pacify him.
2 . to stop groups of people from fighting or protesting, often by using force:
Economic reforms are needed to pacify and modernize the country.