console1
- to alleviate or lessen the grief, sorrow, or disappointment of; give solace or comfort: Only his children could console him when his wife died.
Origin of console1
Synonym study
Examples from the Web for consoling
Contemporary Examples
She had grown so perfect and gentle and consoling that it was unbearable, she was a big, round smooth balloon without a face.
She was consoling herself with the promise of hot coffee and maybe, just maybe, a chocolate-chip cookie.
If someone needs some consoling right now, it is the president, not the Jersey Shore.
In one scene, Hannibal is consoling Will, who is shaken after shooting and killing a suspect.
I wrote back with my attempt at consoling words, but the truth is that I am worried and can hardly console myself.
Historical Examples
By and by, as she grew calmer, I sought to say something that would be consoling to both of us.
Green MansionsW. H. Hudson
Because you are the best, the most consoling, the most sisterly of beings.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
It is both customary and consoling to place the blame on other shoulders than our own.
A Woman IntervenesRobert Barr
Caradoc was obviously inattentive to this consoling information.
The Cruise of the Dry DockT. S. Stribling
It is consoling, and knocks down the far-famed Deo erexit Voltaire.
Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863Adam Gurowski
console1
- to serve as a source of comfort to (someone) in disappointment, loss, sadness, etc
Word Origin
console2
- an ornamental bracket, esp one used to support a wall fixture, bust, etc
- the part of an organ comprising the manuals, pedals, stops, etc
- a unit on which the controls of an electronic system are mounted
- same as games console
- a cabinet for a television, gramophone, etc, designed to stand on the floor
- See console table
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for consoling
console
v.
1690s, from French consoler "to comfort, console," from Latin consolari "offer solace, encourage, comfort, cheer," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + solari "to comfort" (see solace). Or perhaps a back-formation from consolation. The Latin word is glossed in Old English by frefran. Related: Consoled; consoling.
console
n.
1706, "a cabinet; an ornamental base structure," from French console "a bracket" (16c.), of uncertain origin, possibly from Middle French consolateur, literally "one who consoles," word used for carved human figures supporting cornices, shelves or rails in choir stalls. Another guess connects it to Latin consolidare. Sense evolved to "body of a musical organ" (1881), "radio cabinet" (1925), then "cabinet for a TV, stereo, etc." (1944).