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.
Nearby words
Origin of mollify
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French mollifier < Late Latin mollificāre, equivalent to Latin molli(s) soft + -ficāre -fy
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples 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 Formsmollifiable, adjectivemollification, nounmollifier, noun
Word Origin for mollify
C15: from Old French mollifier, via Late Latin, from Latin mollis soft + facere to make
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for mollify
mollify
late 14c., "to soften (a substance)," from Old French mollifier or directly from Late Latin mollificare "make soft, mollify" from mollificus "softening," from Latin mollis "soft" (see melt (v.)) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Transferred sense of "soften in temper, appease, pacify" is recorded from early 15c. Related: Mollified; mollifying.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper