as·suage
Audio Help [uh-sweyj, uh-sweyzh] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [uh-sweyj, uh-sweyzh] Pronunciation Key –verb (used with object), -suaged, -suag·ing.
| 1. | to make milder or less severe; relieve; ease; mitigate: to assuage one's grief; to assuage one's pain. |
| 2. | to appease; satisfy; allay; relieve: to assuage one's hunger. |
| 3. | to soothe, calm, or mollify: to assuage his fears; to assuage her anger. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Assuage
To learn more about Assuage visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| as·suage
Audio Help (ə-swāj') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. as·suaged, as·suag·ing, as·suag·es
[Middle English asswagen, from Old French assuagier, from Vulgar Latin *assuāviāre : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin suāvis, sweet, delightful; see swād- in Indo-European roots.] as·suage'ment n. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
assuage
c.1300, from O.Fr. asouagier, from V.L. *adsuaviare, from L. ad- "to" + suavis "sweet, agreeable" (see sweet).
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| assuage | |
verb | |
| 1. | cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of; "She managed to mollify the angry customer" [syn: pacify] |
| 2. | satisfy (thirst); "The cold water quenched his thirst" [syn: quench] |
| 3. | provide physical relief, as from pain; "This pill will relieve your headaches" [syn: relieve] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
Assuage
Al*le"vi*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Alleviated; p. pr. & vb. n. Alleviating.] [LL. alleviare, fr. L. ad + levis light. See Alegge, Levity.]1. To lighten or lessen the force or weight of. [Obs.] Should no others join capable to alleviate the expense. --Evelyn. Those large bladders . . . conduce much to the alleviating of the body [of flying birds]. --Ray. 2. To lighten or lessen (physical or mental troubles); to mitigate, or make easier to be endured; as, to alleviate sorrow, pain, care, etc.; -- opposed to aggravate. The calamity of the want of the sense of hearing is much alleviated by giving the use of letters. --Bp. Horsley. 3. To extenuate; to palliate. [R.] He alleviates his fault by an excuse. --Johnson. Syn: To lessen; diminish; soften; mitigate; assuage; abate; relieve; nullify; allay. Usage: To Alleviate, Mitigate, Assuage, Allay. These words have in common the idea of relief from some painful state; and being all figurative, they differ in their application, according to the image under which this idea is presented. Alleviate supposes a load which is lightened or taken off; as, to alleviate one's cares. Mitigate supposes something fierce which is made mild; as, to mitigate one's anguish. Assuage supposes something violent which is quieted; as, to assuage one's sorrow. Allay supposes something previously excited, but now brought down; as, to allay one's suffering or one's thirst. To alleviate the distresses of life; to mitigate the fierceness of passion or the violence of grief; to assuage angry feeling; to allay wounded sensibility.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Assuage
As*suage"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assuaged; p. pr. & vb. n. Assuaging.] [OE. asuagen, aswagen, OF. asoagier, asuagier, fr. assouagier, fr. L. ad + suavis sweet. See Sweet.] To soften, in a figurative sense; to allay, mitigate, ease, or lessen, as heat, pain, or grief; to appease or pacify, as passion or tumult; to satisfy, as appetite or desire. Refreshing winds the summer's heat assuage. --Addison. To assuage the sorrows of a desolate old man --Burke. The fount at which the panting mind assuages Her thirst of knowledge. --Byron. Syn: To alleviate; mitigate; appease; soothe; calm; tranquilize; relieve. See Alleviate.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
assuage
assuage was Word of the Day on May 23, 1999.
| Dictionary.com Word of the Day |
View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web
Perform a new search, or try your search for "Assuage" at:
- Amazon.com - Shop for books, music and more
- Reference.com - Encyclopedia Search
- Reference.com - Web Search powered by Google
- Thesaurus.com - Search for synonyms and antonyms














