Lullied

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Soothed or quieted gently, as a person or animal is calmed by a soft sound or rocking motion
2. Calmed into rest or drowsiness by something soft, steady, and soothing in its manner
3. Brought to a state of calm or sleepiness through a gentle, repetitive, and comforting influence

Etymology: Its root is the imitative syllable "lul," the soft, repeated sound people make to quiet a baby. "Lull" grew from that sound and has long meant to soothe someone toward sleep or calm. "Lully" is a less common verb built on the same base, and "lullied" is its past tense. The change from "y" to "ied" is the regular spelling rule for verbs ending in a consonant plus "y," the same pattern as "carry" becoming "carried." The sound also survives in "lullaby," which is "lull" plus "by," a child's soothing sound or phrase. Both words grew from the same babbling, murmured noise rather than from a borrowed foreign root.