Etymology
1. c.1325, "to be agreeable," from O.Fr.
plaisir (Fr.
plaire) "to please," from L.
placere "to be acceptable, be liked, be approved," related to
placare "to soothe, quiet," from PIE base
*p(e)lag- "to smooth, make even" (cf. Gk.
plax, gen.
plakos "level surface,"
plakoeis "flat;" Lett.
plakt "to become flat;" O.N.
flaga "layer of earth;" Norw.
flag "open sea;" O.E.
floh "piece of stone, fragment;" O.H.G.
fluoh "cliff"). Intransitive sense (e.g.
do as you please) first recorded 1500; imperative use (e.g.
please do this), first recorded 1622, was probably a shortening of
if it please (you) (1388). Verbs for "please" supply the stereotype polite word ("
Please come in," short for
may it please you to ...) in many languages (Fr., It.), "But more widespread is the use of the first singular of a verb for 'ask, request' " [Buck, who cites Ger.
bitte, Pol.
prasze, etc.] Sp.
favor is short for
hace el favor "do the favor." Dan. has in this sense
vær saa god, lit. "be so good."
2. 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. See: Middle English '
plesen', Latin '
placeō'.
Verbs referencing "please"
Ido plezar, Dutch
pleasen.