comfort

See also: Comfort

English

Etymology

The verb is from Middle English conforten, from Old French conforter, from Late Latin confortō (“to strengthen greatly”), itself from Latin con- (“together”) + fortis (“strong”).

The noun is from Middle English confort, from Old French cunfort, confort, from the stem of Late Latin confortō. It replaced Old English frofor, Middle English frovre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʌm.fət/
• enPR: kŭm'fərt, IPA^(key): /ˈkʌm.fəɹt/, [ˈkʰʌɱ.fɚt]
• enPR: kŭmfôrt', IPA^(key): /kʌmˈfɔɹt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

comfort (countable and uncountable, plural comforts)

1. Contentment, ease.

   Sleep in comfort with our new mattress.

2. Something that offers comfort.

   the comforts of home

3. A consolation; something relieving suffering or worry.

   We still have the spare tire? That's a comfort at least.

4. A cause of relief or satisfaction.

   The outcome of the peace negotiations in Moscow in 1940 was a heavy blow to the young nation, but in the same time a great comfort: at least the independency was preserved.

Synonyms

• liss

Antonyms

• (contentment, ease): austerity

Translations

contentment, ease

• Arabic: رَاحَة f (rāḥa)
• Belarusian: выго́да f (vyhóda), зру́чнасць f (zrúčnascʹ), камфо́рт m (kamfórt)
• Bulgarian: удо́бство (bg) n (udóbstvo)
• Catalan: comoditat (ca) f, confort m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 舒適／舒适 (zh) (shūshì), 舒适 (zh) (shūshì)

• Czech: pohodlí n
• Danish: behagelighed c, bekvemmelighed c, komfort c
• Dutch: comfort (nl) n, gemak (nl) n
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: mukavuus (fi)
• French: confort (fr) m
• Galician: conforto (gl) m, conforte m, comodidade (gl) f, conchego m
• German: Behaglichkeit (de) f, Bequemlichkeit (de) f, Komfort (de) m
• Greek: άνεση (el) f (ánesi)
• Hindi: आराम (hi) (ārām)
• Hungarian: kényelem (hu)
• Indonesian: kenyamanan (id)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: compord m

  Old Irish: sádaile f, sádailecht f

• Japanese: 快適さ (かいてきさ, kaitekisa)
• Latvian: ērtība f
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Malayalam: സുഖം (ml) (sukhaṁ)
• Maori: oranga ngākau, āhurutanga, hāneaneatanga
• Persian: راحت (fa) (râhat)
• Polish: wygoda (pl) f, komfort (pl) m
• Portuguese: conforto (pt) m
• Romanian: confort (ro)
• Russian: удо́бство (ru) n (udóbstvo), комфо́рт (ru) m (komfórt), ую́т (ru) m (ujút)
• Serbo-Croatian: komfor (sh) m
• Slovak: pohodlie n
• Spanish: comodidad (es) f
• Swedish: bekvämlighet (sv) c, komfort (sv) c
• Ukrainian: зру́чність f (zrúčnistʹ), вигі́дність f (vyhídnistʹ), комфо́рт (uk) m (komfórt)

consolation

• Bashkir: йыуаныс (yıwanıs)
• Belarusian: уцяшэ́нне n (ucjašénnje), суцяшэ́нне n (sucjašénnje)
• Bulgarian: утеха (bg) f (uteha)
• Catalan: consol (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 安慰 (zh) (ānwèi)

• Czech: pohodlí n
• Danish: trøst (da) c
• Dutch: troost (nl)
• Faroese: uggi m
• Finnish: lohtu, lohdutus (fi)
• Galician: consolo m, bago (gl) m, albenda f, conorto m, conforto (gl) m
• German: Trost (de) m, Tröstung f
• Greek: παρηγοριά (el) f (parigoriá)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: vigasz (hu), vigasztalás (hu)
• Irish: sólás m
• Japanese: 慰め (なぐさめ, nagusame)
• Latin: sōlāmen n
• Malayalam: സമാധാനം (ml) (samādhānaṁ)
• Polish: pociecha (pl) f
• Portuguese: conforto (pt) m, consolo (pt) m
• Romanian: consolare (ro) f
• Russian: утеше́ние (ru) n (utešénije)
• Serbo-Croatian: utjeha (sh) f, uteha f
• Spanish: consuelo (es) m
• Swedish: tröst (sv) c
• Ukrainian: утіша́ння n (utišánnja)
• Yiddish: טרייסט f (treyst)

cause of relief or satisfaction

• Bulgarian: разтуха (bg) f (raztuha), облекчение (bg) n (oblekčenie)
• Catalan: benestar (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 安逸 (zh) (ānyì)

• Dutch: troost (nl), gemak (nl) n
• Finnish: helpotus (fi)
• Galician: consolo m, bago (gl) m, albenda f, conorto m, conforto (gl) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Trost (de) m, Tröstung f
• Hungarian: enyhület
• Indonesian: kepuasan (id)
• Portuguese: conforto (pt) m, consolo (pt) m
• Russian: уте́ха (ru) f (utéxa), утеше́ние (ru) n (utešénije)
• Serbo-Croatian: utjeha (sh) f, uteha f
• Swedish: tröst (sv) c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Afrikaans: ^{(please verify)} behaaglikheid
• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} rehat (sq)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} komforto (eo)
• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} lohutus
• French: ^{(please verify)} confort (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} נוֹחוּת (he) f (nokhut)
• Hindi: ^{(please verify)} dhairya
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} hugga (is)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} benessere (it)
• (deprecated template usage) Korean: ^{(please verify)} 안락 (ko) (allak) (anrag)
• Latvian: ^{(please verify)} mierinājums
• (deprecated template usage) Mongolian: ^{(please verify)} тайтгарал (mn) (tajtgaral)
• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} bekvemmelighet (no)
• Papiamentu: ^{(please verify)} komodidad
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} confort (ro)
• Scottish Gaelic: ^{(please verify)} comhurtachd f, ^{(please verify)} cothrom m, ^{(please verify)} sàsadh m, ^{(please verify)} sìoch f, ^{(please verify)} socair f, ^{(please verify)} sòlas m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} udobnost (sh)
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} zadovoljstvo (sh)
• (deprecated template usage) Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} задовољство (zadovoljstvo)
• Slovak: ^{(please verify)} potešovať
• (deprecated template usage) Slovene: udobje n, uteha (sl) f
• Swahili: ^{(please verify)} anasa
• (deprecated template usage) Swedish: bekvämlighet (sv), tröst (sv)
• Tagalog: ^{(please verify)} aliw (tl)
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} సౌకర్యము (te) (saukaryamu)
• (deprecated template usage) Thai: ^{(please verify)} คนหรือสิ่งอำนวยความสะดวก (kon rĕu sìng am-nuay kwaam sà-dùak)
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} rahat (tr)
• (deprecated template usage) Ukrainian: ^{(please verify)} виго́да (vyhóda)
• Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} sự an ủi
• Welsh: ^{(please verify)} cysur

Verb

comfort (third-person singular simple present comforts, present participle comforting, simple past and past participle comforted)

1. (transitive) To relieve the distress or suffering of; to provide comfort to.

   Rob comforted Aaron because he was lost and very sad.

   • (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Light excelleth in comforting the spirits of men.

2. (transitive) To make comfortable. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
3. (obsolete) To make strong; to invigorate; to fortify; to corroborate.

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

   • (Can we date this quote by Hooker and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     God's own testimony […] doth not a little comfort and confirm the same.

4. (obsolete) To assist or help; to aid.
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     I […] cannot help the noble chevalier: / God comfort him in this necessity!

Synonyms

• besoothe

Translations

to provide comfort

• Albanian:

  Arbëresh: fqerënj

• Arabic: وَاسَى (wāsā), عَزَّى (ʕazzā), سَلَّى (sallā)
• Armenian: մխիթարել (hy) (mxitʻarel), սփոփել (hy) (spʻopʻel)
• Azerbaijani: ürək-dirək vermək
• Belarusian: супако́йваць impf (supakójvacʹ), супако́іць pf (supakóicʹ), заспако́йваць impf (zaspakójvacʹ), заспако́іць pf (zaspakóicʹ), уцяша́ць impf (ucjašácʹ), уце́шыць pf (ucjéšycʹ)
• Bulgarian: утешавам (bg) (utešavam), успокоявам (bg) (uspokojavam)
• Catalan: consolar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 安慰 (zh) (ānwèi), 寬慰／宽慰 (zh) (kuānwèi), 宽慰 (zh) (kuānwèi)

• Dutch: troosten (nl)
• Finnish: lohduttaa (fi)
• French: consoler (fr)
• German: trösten (de), ermutigen (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: παρηγορώ (el) (parigoró)

  Ancient: παρηγορέω (parēgoréō)

• Japanese: 慰める (ja) (なぐめる, nagumeru)
• Kalmyk: төвкнүлх (tövknülx)
• Latin: consōlor, alloquor (la)
• Ngazidja Comorian: utruliza
• Portuguese: confortar (pt), reconfortar (pt)
• Russian: успока́ивать (ru) impf (uspokáivatʹ), успоко́ить (ru) pf (uspokóitʹ), утеша́ть (ru) impf (utešátʹ), уте́шить (ru) pf (utéšitʹ)
• Slovak: uteší
• Spanish: confortar (es)
• Ukrainian: заспоко́ювати impf (zaspokójuvaty), заспоко́їти pf (zaspokójity), утиша́ти impf (utyšáty), ути́шити pf (utýšyty)
• West Frisian: treastgje
• Yiddish: טרייסטן (treystn)

to make comfortable

• Catalan: confortar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 使宽慰

• Dutch: comfort (nl) verschaffen, het gemakkelijk maken
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: tehdä mukavaksi
• German: trösten (de), ermutigen (de)
• Latin: alloquor (la)
• Maori: whakaahuru

console — see console

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun or verb "comfort"

• cold comfort
• comfort woman
• comfort zone

• comfortability
• comfortable
• comforter
• comforting

• creature comfort
• discomfort
• letter of comfort

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

comfort n (plural comforts, diminutive comfortje n)

1. Physical comfort, ease

Related terms

• comfortabel