different between palliate vs soothe

English

Etymology

From Latin palliatus (“cloaked”) (in Late Latin the past participle of palliare (“to cover with a cloak”)), from pallium (“cloak”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?pal?e?t/ (verb)
• (US) IPA^(key): /?pæl.i.e?t/ (verb)

Adjective

palliate (comparative more palliate, superlative most palliate)

1. (obsolete) Cloaked; hidden, concealed. [15th-17th c.]
2. (obsolete) Eased; mitigated; alleviated.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Bishop Fell to this entry?)

Verb

palliate (third-person singular simple present palliates, present participle palliating, simple past and past participle palliated)

1. To relieve the symptoms of; to ameliorate. [from 15th c.]
   • 2009, Boris Johnson, The Evening Standard, 15 Jan 09:

     And if there are some bankers out there who are still embarrassed by the size of their bonuses, then I propose that they palliate their guilt by giving to the Mayor's Fund for London to help deprived children in London.

2. (obsolete) To hide or disguise. [16th-19th c.]
3. To cover or disguise the seriousness of (a mistake, offence etc.) by excuses and apologies. [from 17th c.]
   • April 5 1628, Bishop Joseph Hall, The Blessings, Sins, and Judgments of God's Vineyard

     We extenuate not our guilt : whatever we sin , we condemn it as mortal : they palliate wickedness , with the fair pretence of veniality

4. (obsolete) To lessen the severity of; to extenuate, moderate, qualify. [17th-18th c.]
   • 1924, Herman Melville, Billy Budd, London: Constable & Co., Chapter 18, [1]

     If, mindless of palliating circumstances, we are bound to regard the death of the Master-at-arms as the prisoner's deed, then does that deed constitute a capital crime whereof the penalty is a mortal one?

5. To placate or mollify. [from 17th c.]
   • 2007, "Looking towards a Brown future", The Guardian, 25 Jan 07:

     Brown's options for the machinery of Whitehall are constrained, as for all prime ministers, by the need to palliate allies and hug enemies close (John Reid, say).

Related terms

• palliation
• palliative
• pallium

Translations

References

• Paternoster, Lewis M. and Frager-Stone, Ruth. Three Dimensions of Vocabulary Growth. Second Edition. Amsco School Publications: USA. 1998.

Latin

Adjective

palli?te

1. vocative masculine singular of palli?tus

References

• palliate in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)

English

Etymology

From Middle English sothen (“to verify, prove the validity of”), from Old English s?þian (“to verify, prove, confirm, bear witness to”), from Proto-Germanic *sanþ?n? (“to prove, certify, acknowledge, testify”), from Proto-Indo-European *h?es- (“to be”). Cognate with Danish sande (“to verify”), Swedish sanna (“to verify”), Icelandic sanna (“to verify”), Gothic ???????????????????????? (suþjan), ???????????????????????? (suþj?n, “to soothe”). See also: sooth.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /su?ð/
• Rhymes: -u?ð

Verb

soothe (third-person singular simple present soothes, present participle soothing, simple past and past participle soothed)

1. (transitive) To restore to ease, comfort, or tranquility; relieve; calm; quiet; refresh.
   • 2013, Daniel Taylor, Andros Townsend calms England's nerves in taming of Montenegro (in The Guardian, 11 October 2013)[1]

     Yet Wayne Rooney scored at a good time, three minutes after the restart, to soothe any gathering nerves and the night can ultimately be chalked off as one of the finest occasions of Hodgson's 17 months in the job.

2. (transitive) To allay; assuage; mitigate; soften.
3. (transitive, rare) To smooth over; render less obnoxious.
4. (transitive) To calm or placate someone or some situation.
5. (transitive) To ease or relieve pain or suffering.
   • 1976, The Wurzels, I Am A Cider Drinker

     I am a cider drinker,

     I drinks it all of the day,

     I am a cider drinker,

     it soothes all me troubles away,

6. (intransitive) To temporise by assent, concession, flattery, or cajolery.
7. (intransitive) To bring comfort or relief.
8. (transitive) To keep in good humour; wheedle; cajole; flatter.
9. (transitive, obsolete) To prove true; verify; confirm as true.
10. (transitive, obsolete) To confirm the statements of; maintain the truthfulness of (a person); bear out.
11. (transitive, obsolete) To assent to; yield to; humour by agreement or concession.

Synonyms

• (humour by agreement or concession): comply, give way; See also Thesaurus:accede

Derived terms

• soothing, soothsayer

Translations