Palliate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈpælieɪt/

Definitions

1. To alleviate discomfort or severity of a condition while not curing the primary illness
2. To provide relief from distressing symptoms without treating the underlying issue effectively
3. To lessen the intensity or harshness of symptoms without addressing the underlying cause

Etymology: The core of "palliate" is a cloak. The Latin "pallium" meant a cloak or mantle, and the verb "palliare" meant to cover with one, so to palliate something was literally to wrap it up. That physical sense carried over into figurative use: a covering that hides or softens what lies beneath. Medicine took that idea and narrowed it. To palliate a disease was to cover over its symptoms rather than cure the underlying cause, which is why the modern sense is to ease pain without removing its source. English also used the word for concealing faults, so to palliate an offense meant to make it look less serious, a sense that survives in the phrase "extenuating" in older writing. The word reached English through Middle French "pallier" or directly from Latin "palliatus", and the English form took the -ate ending that many Latin-derived verbs carry. The cloak-like idea of covering remains in every use: the medicine, the excuse, and the softening all hide something underneath.

Synonyms: mitigate, alleviate

Antonyms: intensify, aggravate