different between alleviate vs disburden

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin alleviatus, past participle of alleviare (“to lighten”) (ad- (“towards”) + levis (“light”)). Doublet of alegge.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??li.vi.e?t/

Verb

alleviate (third-person singular simple present alleviates, present participle alleviating, simple past and past participle alleviated)

1. (transitive) To make less severe, as a pain or difficulty.

   Alcohol is often a cheap tool to alleviate the stress of a hard day.

Usage notes

Particularly used of pain or difficulty, with connotations of “lightening a load”.

Synonyms

• address, allay, ameliorate, assuage, ease, mitigate, relieve

Antonyms

• (to make less severe): aggravate

Related terms

Translations

Italian

Verb

alleviate

1. second-person plural present subjunctive of allevare
2. second-person plural present indicative of alleviare
3. second-person plural imperative of alleviare
4. second-person plural present subjunctive of alleviare
5. feminine plural of alleviato

Anagrams

• alleatevi

Latin

Participle

allevi?te

1. vocative masculine singular of allevi?tus

English

Etymology

dis- +? burden

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d?s?b??(?)d?n/

Verb

disburden (third-person singular simple present disburdens, present participle disburdening, simple past and past participle disburdened)

1. (transitive) To rid of a burden; to free from a load carried; to unload.

   to disburden a pack animal

2. (transitive) To free from a source of mental trouble.
   • 1863, George Eliot, Romola, Volume I, Book I, Chapter XVII, page 295

     Romola's heart swelled again, so that she was forced to break off. But the need she felt to disburden her mind to Tito urged her to repress the rising anguish.

   • 1677, Owen Feltham, Of Improving by Good Examples

     He did it to disburden a conscience.

   • 1650, Henry Hammond, Of the reasonableness of Christian religion

     My meditations […] will, I hope, be more […] calm, being thus disburdened.

Related terms

• unburden

Anagrams

• underbids