Condoles

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To show compassion and provide comfort to someone suffering through a loss or distressing event
2. Offers sympathy to someone experiencing sorrow or bereavement
3. Communicates heartfelt sorrow and support to a person facing a tragic event

Etymology: "Condoles" is the third-person singular form of "condole," a verb meaning to share another person's grief. The verb is a learned borrowing from Ecclesiastical Latin "condolēre," which combines "con-," meaning "together," with "doleō," meaning "to suffer physical pain" or "to grieve." The Latin verb carried a physical sense of hurting alongside its emotional sense, so the idea of sharing someone's pain was built into it from the start. The Latin root "doleō" is also the source of "dolor," the ordinary English word for pain, so "condole" and "dolor" are close relatives. Both draw on the same ancient notion of suffering, but "condole" specifically adds the act of suffering alongside another person.