palliate

English

WOTD – 16 June 2010    

Etymology

From Latin palliatus (“cloaked”) (in Late Latin the past participle of palliare (“to cover with a cloak”)), from pallium (“cloak”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈpalɪeɪt/ (verb)
• (US) IPA: /ˈpæl.i.eɪt/ (verb)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

palliate (comparative more palliate, superlative most palliate)

1. (obsolete) Cloaked; hidden, concealed. [15th-17th c.]

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Bishop Hall to this entry?)

2. (obsolete) Eased; mitigated; alleviated.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Bishop Fell to this entry?)

Verb

palliate (third-person singular simple present palliates, present participle palliating, simple past and past participle palliated)

1. To relieve the symptoms of; to ameliorate. [from 15th c.]
   • 2009, Boris Johnson, The Evening Standard, 15 Jan 09:

     And if there are some bankers out there who are still embarrassed by the size of their bonuses, then I propose that they palliate their guilt by giving to the Mayor's Fund for London to help deprived children in London.

2. (obsolete) To hide or disguise. [16th-19th c.]
3. To cover or disguise the seriousness of (a mistake, offence etc.) by excuses and apologies. [from 17th c.]
4. (obsolete) To lessen the severity of; to extenuate, moderate, qualify. [17th-18th c.]
5. To placate or mollify. [from 17th c.]
   • 2007, "Looking towards a Brown future", The Guardian, 25 Jan 07:

     Brown's options for the machinery of Whitehall are constrained, as for all prime ministers, by the need to palliate allies and hug enemies close (John Reid, say).

Related terms

• palliation
• palliative
• pallium

Translations

to relieve the symptoms of

• Catalan: pal·liar (ca), mitigar (ca), atenuar (ca), remeiar (ca)
• Finnish: lievittää (fi)
• French: pallier (fr), atténuer (fr), remèdier à (fr), soulager (fr)
• German: lindern (de)

• Portuguese: atenuar (pt), remediar (pt)
• Spanish: paliar (es), mitigar (es), remediar (es), atenuar (es)
• Turkish: dindirmek (tr), yatıştırmak (tr), hafifletmek (tr)

obsolete: to hide or disguise

to cover or disguise the seriousness of something by excuses and apologies

• Catalan: pal·liar (ca), encobrir (ca), dissimular (ca)
• Finnish: selitellä (fi)
• German: beschönigen (de)

• Spanish: paliar (es), cohonestar (es), encubrir (es), disimular (es)
• Turkish: örtbas etmek (tr)

obsolete: to lessen the severity of

to placate or mollify

• Finnish: hyvitellä (fi)

References

• Paternoster, Lewis M. and Frager-Stone, Ruth. Three Dimensions of Vocabulary Growth. Second Edition. Amsco School Publications: USA. 1998.

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Latin

Adjective

palliāte

1. vocative masculine singular of palliātus