A polite willingness to please others or agree with them, sometimes insincerely.
From French complaisance, derived from complaisant (meaning obliging). It comes from Latin complacentia, where com- means 'with' and placentia relates to pleasing. The word traveled through French before entering English in the 17th century.
Complaisance reveals a fascinating double meaning in politeness: it can be genuine kindness or calculated manipulation disguised as courtesy—like when someone smiles while doing something they clearly don't want to do.
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