soothe

English

/suːð/

verb
Definitions
  • (transitive) To restore to ease, comfort, or tranquility; relieve; calm; quiet; refresh.
  • (transitive) To allay; assuage; mitigate; soften.
  • (transitive) To smooth over; render less obnoxious.
  • (transitive) To calm or placate someone or some situation.
  • (transitive) To ease or relieve pain or suffering.
  • (intransitive) To temporise by assent, concession, flattery, or cajolery.
  • (intransitive) To bring comfort or relief.
  • (transitive) To keep in good humour; wheedle; cajole; flatter.
  • (transitive) To prove true; verify; confirm as true.
  • (transitive) To confirm the statements of; maintain the truthfulness of (a person); bear out.
  • (transitive) To assent to; yield to; humour by agreement or concession.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English sothen (prove the validity of, prove, verify) inherited from Old English sōþian (prove, verify, bear witness to, confirm) inherited from Proto-Germanic *sanþōną (acknowledge, certify, prove, testify) derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (be, exist).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*h₁es-

Gloss

be, exist

Concept
Semantic Field

Miscellaneous function words

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms