allay

1 lessen the intensity of or calm; "The news eased my conscience"; "still the fears" [syn: still, relieve, ease]

2 satisfy (thirst); "The cold water quenched his thirst" [syn: quench, slake, assuage]

English

Etymology

Old English alecgan, from , corresponding to a- + lecgan. Cognate with German erlegen. In the word was identical to forms of allege and alloy, leading to much overlapping of senses.

Pronunciation

• /ʌˈle/ a WEAE

  Rhymes: -eɪ

Verb

1. To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm.

   to allay popular excitement

   to allay the tumult of the passions

2. To alleviate; to abate; to mitigate.

   to allay the severity of affliction or the bitterness of adversity

Quotations

He had to pretend to be drunk in order to allay the suspicions which might have been aroused by his appearance at the gate. —Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in A Study in Scarlet

Synonyms

alleviate; check; repress; assuage; appease; abate; subdue; destroy; compose; soothe; calm; quiet.

References

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