soothe
English
Etymology
From Middle English sothen (“to verify, prove the validity of”), from Old English sōþian (“to verify, prove, confirm, bear witness to”), from Proto-Germanic *sanþōną (“to prove, certify, acknowledge, testify”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”). Cognate with Danish sande (“to verify”), Swedish sanna (“to verify”), Icelandic sanna (“to verify”). See also: sooth.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /suːð/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -uːð
Verb
soothe (third-person singular simple present soothes, present participle soothing, simple past and past participle soothed)
- (transitive) To restore to ease, comfort, or tranquility; relieve; calm; quiet; refresh.
- 1697, [William] Congreve, The Mourning Bride, a Tragedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 228728136, Act I, page 1:
- Muſick has Charms to ſooth a ſavage Breaſt,
To ſoften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak.
- 2013, Daniel Taylor, Andros Townsend calms England's nerves in taming of Montenegro (in The Guardian, 11 October 2013)
- 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.
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- (transitive) To allay; assuage; mitigate; soften.
- (transitive, rare) To smooth over; render less obnoxious.
- (transitive) To calm or placate someone or some situation.
- (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
- I am a cider drinker, I drinks it all of the day
- 1976, The Wurzels, I Am A Cider Drinker
- (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, obsolete) To prove true; verify; confirm as true.
- (transitive, obsolete) To confirm the statements of; maintain the truthfulness of (a person); bear out.
- (transitive, obsolete) To assent to; yield to; humour by agreement or concession.
- 1603, Plutarch, “Of the Novritvre and Edvcation of Children”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Philosophie, Commonlie Called, The Morals […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield, OCLC 1051546006, page 15:
- To be ſhort, a wretched and curſed generation they be; hypocrites, pretending friendſhip, but they can not skill of plaine dealing and franke ſpeech. Rich men they claw, ſooth up and flatter: the poore they contemne and despiſe.
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Synonyms
- (humour by agreement or concession): comply, give way; See also Thesaurus:accede
Derived terms
- soothing
- soothsayer
Translations
to restore to ease
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to calm or placate
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to ease or relieve pain
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to bring comfort or relief
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