Consolation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌkɑn.səˈleɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. Something that provides comfort or relief to someone who is disappointed, sad, or grieving
2. comfort or solace offered to someone experiencing disappointment, sorrow, or distress
3. an expression or source of relief and emotional support given to those who are suffering or dejected

Etymology: The Latin verb "solor" meant "to comfort," and its intensified form "consolari" carried the same sense with extra force, as if you gathered someone fully into your care. Its Latin noun "consolatio" was the act of bringing that comfort, and it passed into Old French as "consolacion" before reaching English. The English word is therefore a doublet of the Latin noun, meaning that the same Latin source arrived twice, once through French and once directly as a learned borrowing. The English form is built from "console," which came from the same Latin verb, plus the suffix "-ation," which turns a verb into a noun of action or result. So the word names the comforting itself as much as the thing that comforts. Its root meaning is closely tied to solace, a word that shares the same Latin base "solari" and has long been used in the same grieving context.

Synonyms: comfort, solace, relief, support, encouragement

Antonyms: distress, pain, sorrow, misery, discomfort