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console1

[kuh n-sohl]
verb (used with object), con·soled, con·sol·ing.
  1. to alleviate or lessen the grief, sorrow, or disappointment of; give solace or comfort: Only his children could console him when his wife died.
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Origin of console1

1685–95; (< French consoler) < Latin consōlārī, equivalent to con- con- + sōlārī to soothe (see solace); perhaps akin to Old English sǣl happiness (see seely)
Related formscon·sol·a·ble, adjectivecon·sol·er, nouncon·sol·ing·ly, adverbnon·con·sol·a·ble, adjectivenon·con·sol·ing, adjectivenon·con·sol·ing·ly, adverbself-con·sol·ing, adjectiveun·con·sol·a·ble, adjectiveun·con·sol·a·bly, adverbun·con·soled, adjectiveun·con·sol·ing, adjectiveun·con·sol·ing·ly, adverb

Synonym study

See comfort.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for consolingly

Historical Examples

  • He sought to smile on her consolingly; but the smile would not come.

    Night and Morning, Complete

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

  • "But it never has been cold enough to freeze your tail off," said the Prince, consolingly.

    Prince Vance

    Eleanor Putnam

  • "You might have lost it in the funds, and had no pleasure for it," said Sir William, consolingly.

    One Of Them

    Charles James Lever

  • "There 's another train to start at three-forty," said I, consolingly.

    A Day's Ride

    Charles James Lever

  • “They often begin that way,” remarked Dumaresque, consolingly.

    The Bondwoman

    Marah Ellis Ryan

British Dictionary definitions for consolingly

console1

verb
  1. to serve as a source of comfort to (someone) in disappointment, loss, sadness, etc
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Derived Formsconsolable, adjectiveconsoler, nounconsolingly, adverb

Word Origin

C17: from Latin consōlārī, from sōlārī to comfort; see solace

console2

noun
  1. an ornamental bracket, esp one used to support a wall fixture, bust, etc
  2. the part of an organ comprising the manuals, pedals, stops, etc
  3. a unit on which the controls of an electronic system are mounted
  4. same as games console
  5. a cabinet for a television, gramophone, etc, designed to stand on the floor
  6. See console table
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Word Origin

C18: from French, shortened from Old French consolateur one that provides support, hence, supporting bracket, from Latin consōlātor a comforter; see console 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for consolingly

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.

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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).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper