satisfactual

English

Etymology

Uncertain; apparently from satisfaction +‎ -ual. Now chiefly associated with the 1946 song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" (see quotation below).

Adjective

satisfactual (comparative more satisfactual, superlative most satisfactual)

1. (dialectal, nonstandard) Causing someone to feel satisfied; satisfactory.
   • 1877 March 9, Montgomery Daily Advertiser, volume 13 (new series), number 144, Montgomery, A.L.: [s.n.], page 3, column 2:

     Bill will return to Washington and report the action of his "high j'int," and that will be all "satisfactual" for the common "good of the country."

   • 1883 June, Joel Chandler Harris, “At Teague Poteet's: A Sketch of the Hog Mountain Range, in Two Parts: Part II”, in The Century Magazine, volume XXVI, number 2, New York, N.Y.: The Century Company, page 186, column 1:

     But on account er me an' Sis, I'm willin' to extracise my bes' judgment. It mayn't be satisfactual, but me and Sis is mighty long-headed when we pulls tergether.

   • 1887, Rowland E[vans] Robinson, Uncle Lisha's Shop: Life in a Corner of Yankeeland, New York, N.Y.: Forest and Stream Publishing Co., page 60:

     "Hamner is tew narrer-c'ntracted an' peniverous tu be very satisfactual tu his patrings," Solon Briggs remarked. "He is a very parsinumerous man."

   • 1911 November 10, “More Personals”, in The Gustine Standard, volume 2, number 45, Gustine, C.A.: [s.n.], page 4, column 4:

     J. P. Jorgensen's Auction Sale Wednesday, is reported as being very satisfactual in every respect.

   • 1946 November 12, “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”, Ray Gilbert (lyrics), Allie Wrubel (music)‎^[1]performed by James Baskett, from Song of the South:

     Mister blue bird's on my shoulder / It's the truth / It's actual / Everything is satisfactual

   • 1963, Glen A. Brackbill, Yvonne Brackbill, anonymous quotee, “Some Reactions to First Remembered Sexual Climax”, in Manfred F. DeMartino, editor, Sexual Behavior and Personality Characteristics, New York, N.Y.: The Citadel Press, page 233:

     So my first experience was masturbation, intentional and experimental, which proved quite shocking and satisfactual. I had no particular regrets excepting slight religious guiltiness.

   • 1991, Beach Leighton, Mr. Dutch: The Arkansas Traveler, Champaign, I.L.: Sagamore Publishing Inc., →ISBN, page 26:

     Everything was "satisfactual" to Dutch, even when Emma was a "sourpuss." He treated her deferentially, sometimes saying, "Here's the Boss," or "Momma, you're the one with the purse strings."

   • 2017 March 6, Kate Kershner, “A Dose of Nature Could Improve Mental Health for City Dwellers”, in HowStuffWorks‎^[2], archived from the original on 2017-07-04:

     They found that seeing more birds in the afternoon was associated with lower levels of anxiety, stress and depression. [Daniel] Cox says that the researchers "did not find a relationship with richness," meaning that it didn't really matter how many bird species there were, but how many individual birds participants saw. In other words, a group of bluebirds on your shoulder might just make you feel more "satisfactual" than one or none.

Derived terms

• satisfactually