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please

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please¹

  • /pliːz/ UK
  • /pliz/ US

Sounds like pleas · Rhymes with -iːz

Where it comes from

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.

verb pleases · pleasing · pleased · please

  1. ambitransitive To make happy or satisfy; to give pleasure to. Her presentation pleased the executives.
  2. ergative, intransitive To desire; to will; to be pleased by. Just do as you please.

please²

  • /pliːz/ UK
  • /pliz/ US

Sounds like pleas · Rhymes with -iːz

Where it comes from

Short for if you please, an intransitive, ergative form taken from if it please you which is a calque of French s'il vous plaît, which replaced pray. If it please you is a present subjunctive form, but most current uses of please are not parsed that way.

adverb puh-lease

  1. not comparable Used to make a polite request. Please, pass the bread.

interjection puh-lease

  1. often Used as an affirmative to an offer. Near-synonym: thank you
  2. An expression of annoyance, impatience, or exasperation. Oh, please, do we have to hear that again?
  3. An expression of annoyance, impatience, or exasperation. Near-synonyms: enough, enough already, that's enough, no more, cut it out, knock it off, shut up, STFU

please³

  • /pliːz/ UK
  • /pliz/ US

Sounds like pleas · Rhymes with -iːz

Where it comes from

Semantic loan from German bitte (“please; excuse me”).

interjection

  1. Cincinnati Said as a request to repeat information. Customer while ordering: Can I get a [unintelligible]? Restaurant employee: Please?

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