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soothe

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Alternative forms

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sooth(obsolete)

Etymology

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FromMiddle Englishsothen(“to verify, prove the validity of”), fromOld Englishsōþian(“to verify, prove, confirm, bear witness to”), fromProto-West Germanic*sanþōn, fromProto-Germanic*sanþōną(“to prove, certify, acknowledge, testify”), fromProto-Indo-European*h₁es-(“to be”). Cognate withDanishsande(“to verify”),Swedishsanna(“to verify”),Icelandicsanna(“to verify”). See alsosooth. Displaced nativeOld Englishfrēfran,ġefrēfran(“to comfort, console, soothe”), and partially displaced nativeOld Englishstillan,ġestillan(“to calm, become calm, pacify, quieten”) (whence modernstill).

The semantic evolution of "to verify, prove the validity of" → "to comfort" (first attested in the late 17th century) comes from the notion of assuaging someone by supporting the truth of what they say.

Pronunciation

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IPA^(key): /suːð/
Audio(US): (file)
Rhymes:-uːð

Verb

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soothe (third-person singular simple presentsoothes,present participlesoothing,simple past and past participlesoothed)

(transitive) Torestore to ease, comfort, ortranquility; relieve; calm;quiet;refresh.
Synonyms:becalm,placate;see alsoThesaurus:pacify
- 1697,[William] Congreve,The Mourning Bride, a Tragedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […],→OCLC, Act I,page 1:
  Muſick has Charms toſooth a ſavage Breaſt,
  To ſoften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak.
- 2013 October 11, Daniel Taylor,The Guardian‎^[1]:
  Yet Wayne Rooney scored at a good time, three minutes after the restart, tosoothe any gathering nerves and the night can ultimately be chalked off as one of the finest occasions of Hodgson's 17 months in the job.
(transitive) Toallay;assuage;mitigate;soften.
(transitive, rare) Tosmooth over; render less obnoxious.
(transitive) Tocalm orplacate someone or some situation.
(transitive) Toease orrelievepain orsuffering.
Synonyms:comfort,solace;see alsoThesaurus:comfort
- 1976,The Wurzels,I Am A Cider Drinker:
  I am a cider drinker, I drinks it all of the day
  I am a cider drinker, itsoothes all me troubles away
(intransitive) Totemporise by assent, concession, flattery, or cajolery.
(intransitive) To bringcomfort orrelief.
(transitive) To keep in good humour;wheedle;cajole;flatter.
(transitive, obsolete) Toprove true;verify;confirm as true.
(transitive, obsolete) To confirm the statements of;maintain the truthfulness of (a person);bear out.
(transitive, obsolete) Toassent to;yield to; humour by agreement or concession.
Synonyms:comply,give way;see alsoThesaurus:accede
- 1603,Plutarch, “Of the Novritvre and Edvcation of Children”, inPhilemon Holland, transl.,The Philosophie, Commonlie Called, The Morals […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield,→OCLC,page15:
  To be ſhort, a wretched and curſed generation they be; hypocrites, pretending friendſhip, but they can not skill of plaine dealing and franke ſpeech. Rich men they claw,ſooth up and flatter: the poore they contemne and despiſe.