assuage means to lessen the intensity of, to mitigate or relieve (hunger, emotion, pain, etc.). It carries an Arena rating of 2079, earned across 27 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, assuage ranks #52 of 42,747 for Qualifying, #410 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #618 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,170 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
assuage is pronounced /əˈsweɪd͡ʒ/.
Why “assuage” is a great word
To lessen the intensity of or provide relief from something unpleasant, such as pain, hunger, or emotion. From Middle English aswagen, from Old French asuagier ("to appease, to calm"), from Vulgar Latin *assuāviō ("to sweeten, to calm"), derived from Latin ad- ("to") + suāvis ("sweet") + -iō (verb-forming suffix). Unlike "alleviate," which merely reduces the severity of a symptom, or "placate," which aims to appease an external party through concession, "assuage" implies a deeper, internal sweetening of the ache itself. It is the cool balm laid on a burn, the rich mouthful that silences a hollow stomach, the soft word that dissolves a knot of grief—a turning of the bitter draught, however slightly, toward honey, as if the relief itself could taste of solace.
Etymology
From Middle English aswagen, from Old French asuagier (“to appease, to calm”), from Vulgar Latin *assuāviō (“to sweeten, to butter up, to calm”), derived from Latin ad- + suāvis (“sweet”) + -iō.
verb
- To lessen the intensity of, to mitigate or relieve (hunger, emotion, pain, etc.).e.g.“Refreshing winds the summer's heat assuage.” — 1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
- To pacify or soothe (someone).
- To calm down, become less violent (of passion, hunger etc.); to subside, to abate.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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