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palliate

[ pal-ee-eyt ]
/ ˈpæl iˌeɪt /
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See synonyms for: palliate / palliation on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), pal·li·at·ed, pal·li·at·ing.
to relieve or lessen without curing; mitigate; alleviate.
to try to mitigate or conceal the gravity of (an offense) by excuses, apologies, etc.; extenuate.
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Origin of palliate

First recorded in 1540–50, palliate is from the Late Latin word palliātus cloaked, covered. See pallium, -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM palliate

pal·li·a·tion [pal-ee-ey-shuhn], /ˌpæl iˈeɪ ʃən/, nounpal·li·a·tor, nounun·pal·li·at·ed, adjective

Words nearby palliate

palletize, pallet knife, pallet truck, pallial, palliasse, palliate, palliation, palliative, palliative care, palliative treatment, pallid
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to palliate

abate, allay, alleviate, assuage, camouflage, cloak, conceal, condone, cover, diminish, disguise, dissemble, ease, exculpate, excuse, extenuate, hide, justify, lessen, lighten

How to use palliate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for palliate

palliate
/ (ˈpælɪˌeɪt) /
verb (tr)
to lessen the severity of (pain, disease, etc) without curing or removing; alleviate; mitigate
to cause (an offence) to seem less serious by concealing evidence; extenuate

Derived forms of palliate

palliation, nounpalliator, noun

Word Origin for palliate

C16: from Late Latin palliāre to cover up, from Latin pallium a cloak, pallium
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

Medical definitions for palliate

palliate
[ păl′ē-āt′ ]
v.
To reduce the severity of; to relieve somewhat.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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