Abirritates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Soothes or calms an inflamed or irritated part of the body, such as a mucous membrane or skin
2. Lessens the sensitivity and discomfort of tissue that has been inflamed by a substance or condition
3. Reduces irritation in the body by applying a substance that relieves inflammation and sensitivity

Etymology: "Abirritate" is a verb built from two parts: the prefix "ab-", meaning "away" or "off", and "irritate". Its sense runs the opposite way to its root. "Irritate" describes provoking or inflaming a part of the body, while "abirritate" describes calming that same inflamed tissue, so the prefix effectively reverses the action of the base word. The prefix traces back through Latin, where "ab" meant "from" or "away", to a very old form found across the Indo-European languages. In English, the word is a straightforward combination of that prefix with "irritate", which itself came from the Latin "irritare", "to excite or provoke". The result is a term that describes soothing an irritated surface, such as a mucous membrane or skin.

Synonyms: soothes, calms, alleviates

Antonyms: irritates, provokes