content
We must content content creators.
The sentence asserts that we must satisfy people who produce digital media.
Meanings
to satisfy or please; or, as adjective, in a state of peaceful happiness
- The simple meal contented the hungry travelers.
- She felt content after a long day's work.
the substance, material, or information held within a container, document, or medium
- Streaming services compete for original content.
- Check the table of contents.
Word origin
Both senses descend from Latin contentus, past participle of continēre ('to hold together, contain'), formed from com- ('together') + tenēre ('to hold'). The verb sense — 'to satisfy, hold within bounds' — developed from the metaphor of being 'contained within' one's wishes. The noun sense — 'what is contained' — developed from the literal containment image. The trochaic noun rule produces the modern stress shift.
Fun fact
In the 21st century, 'content' the noun overtook 'content' the verb-or-adjective in everyday usage thanks to the rise of 'content creators' and 'content marketing.' For most of the previous millennium, 'to be content' was the dominant sense; now the noun has reclaimed center stage from a Latin word that originally meant 'held together.'