propitiation

noun

"propitiation" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“propitiation” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of propitiating; placation, atonement, similar to expiation but also involving the appeasement of anger.

Corpus desk

Index EN-propitiation · propitiation · English

propitiation · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for propitiation
PropertyValue
Headwordpropitiation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “propitiation” in English

propitiationsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

propitiation is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for propitiation, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English propiciacion, propiciacioun, from Anglo-Norman propiciatiun, Middle French propiciation, propitiation, and their etymon Latin propitiātiō (stem propitiātiōn-). By surface analysis, propitiat(e) + -ion. The correct English form is propitiation, spelled P-R-O-P-I-T-I-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of propitiating; placation, atonement, similar to expiation but also involving the appeasement of anger.
  2. 2
    The death of Christ as a basis for the forgiveness of sin.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how propitiation appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God
  2. At the base of the whole process by which divinities and demons were created, and rites for their propitiation and placation established, lay Fear - fear stimulating the imagination to fantastic activity.

Etymology

From Middle English propiciacion, propiciacioun, from Anglo-Norman propiciatiun, Middle French propiciation, propitiation, and their etymon Latin propitiātiō (stem propitiātiōn-). By surface analysis, propitiat(e) + -ion.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "propitiation"?
"propitiation" is spelled P-R-O-P-I-T-I-A-T-I-O-N.
What does "propitiation" mean?
As a noun, "propitiation" means: The act of propitiating; placation, atonement, similar to expiation but also involving the appeasement of anger.
What is the origin of the word "propitiation"?
From Middle English propiciacion, propiciacioun, from Anglo-Norman propiciatiun, Middle French propiciation, propitiation, and their etymon Latin propitiātiō (stem propitiātiōn-). By surface analysis, propitiat(e) + -ion. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list