mollify
[ mol-uh-fahy ]
/ ˈmɒl əˌfaɪ /
verb (used with object), mol·li·fied, mol·li·fy·ing.
to soften in feeling or temper, as a person; pacify; appease.
to mitigate or reduce; soften: to mollify one's demands.
QUIZZES
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We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of mollify
1350–1400; Middle English <Middle French mollifier<Late Latin mollificāre, equivalent to Latin molli(s) soft + -ficāre-fy
OTHER WORDS FROM mollify
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for mollify
British Dictionary definitions for mollify
mollify
/ (ˈmɒlɪˌfaɪ) /
verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)
to pacify; soothe
to lessen the harshness or severity of
Derived forms of mollify
mollifiable, adjectivemollification, nounmollifier, nounWord Origin for mollify
C15: from Old French mollifier, via Late Latin, from Latin mollis soft + facere to make
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