palliate

verb

pal·li·ate ˈpa-lē-ˌāt

palliated; palliating

Synonyms of palliate

transitive verb

: to reduce the violence of (a disease)

also : to ease (symptoms) without curing the underlying disease

drugs to palliate the pain

: to cover by excuses and apologies

tried to palliate his blunder

: to moderate the intensity of

trying to palliate the boredom

did nothing to palliate the bitter disputes

palliation

ˌpa-lē-ˈā-shən

noun

palliator

ˈpa-lē-ˌā-tər

noun

Did you know?

Long ago, the ancient Romans had a name for the cloak-like garb that was worn by the Greeks (distinguishing it from their own toga); the name was pallium. In the 15th century, English speakers modified the Late Latin word palliatus, which derives from pallium, to form palliate. Our term, used initially as both an adjective and a verb, never had the literal Latin sense referring to the cloak you wear, but it took on the figurative "cloak" of protection. Specifically, the verb palliate meant (as it still can mean) "to lessen the intensity of a disease." The related adjective palliative describes medical care that focuses on relieving pain or discomfort rather than administering a cure.

Examples of palliate in a Sentence

treatments that can palliate the painful symptoms of the disease don't try to palliate your constant lying by claiming that everybody lies

Recent Examples on the Web

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Radiation can also be used to palliate painful bone metastases, as well as chemotherapy. —Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 1 Oct. 2024 Senior-home avatars who are designed to palliate dementia patients in their darkest days. —Longreads, 12 Apr. 2024