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Webster 1913 Edition

Soothe

Soothe

(soōth)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Soothed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Soothing
.]
[Originally, to assent to as true; OE.
soðien
to verify, AS.
gesōðian
to prove the truth of, to bear witness. See
Sooth
,
Adj.
]
1.
To assent to as true.
[Obs.]
Testament of Love.
2.
To assent to; to comply with; to gratify; to humor by compliance; to please with blandishments or soft words; to flatter.
Good, my lord,
soothe
him, let him take the fellow.
Shakespeare
I’ve tried the force of every reason on him,
Soothed
and caressed, been angry,
soothed
again.
Addison.
3.
To assuage; to mollify; to calm; to comfort;
as, to
soothe
a crying child; to
soothe
one's sorrows
.
Music hath charms to
soothe
the savage breast,
To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.
Congreve.
Though the sound of Fame
May for a moment
soothe
, it can not slake
The fever of vain longing.
Byron.
Syn. – To soften; assuage; allay; compose; mollify; tranquilize; pacify; mitigate.

Webster 1828 Edition

Soothe

SOOTHE

,
Verb.
T.
[The sense of setting, allaying of softening, would give that of truth, and of sweet, that is, smooth.]
1.
To flatter; to please with blandishments or soft words. Can I soothe tyranny? I've tried the force of every reason on him. Sooth'd and caress'd, been angry, sooth'd again
2.
To soften; to assuage; to mollify; to calm; as, to soothe one in pain or passion; or to soothe pain. It is applied both to persons and things.
3.
To gratify; to please. Sooth'd with his future fame.

Definition 2024

soothe

soothe

English

Verb

soothe ‎(third-person singular simple present soothes, present participle soothing, simple past and past participle soothed)

  1. (transitive, obsolete) To prove true; verify; confirm as true.
  2. (transitive, obsolete) To confirm the statements of; maintain the truthfulness of (a person); bear out.
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To assent to; yield to; humour by agreement or concession.
  4. (transitive) To keep in good humour; wheedle; cajole; flatter.
  5. (transitive) To restore to ease, comfort, or tranquility; relieve; calm; quiet; refresh.
    • 2013, Daniel Taylor, Andros Townsend calms England's nerves in taming of Montenegro (in The Guardian, 11 October 2013)
      Yet Wayne Rooney scored at a good time, three minutes after the restart, to soothe any gathering nerves and the night can ultimately be chalked off as one of the finest occasions of Hodgson's 17 months in the job.
  6. (transitive) To allay; assuage; mitigate; soften.
  7. (transitive, rare) To smooth over; render less obnoxious.
  8. (transitive) To calm or placate someone or some situation.
  9. (transitive) To ease or relieve pain or suffering.
  10. (intransitive) To temporise by assent, concession, flattery, or cajolery.
  11. (intransitive) To bring comfort or relief.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology

From Middle English sothen ‎(“to verify, prove the validity of”), from Old English sōþian ‎(“to verify, prove, confirm, bear witness to”), from Proto-Germanic *sanþōną ‎(“to prove, certify, acknowledge, testify”), from Proto-Indo-European *sont-, *sent- ‎(“being, true”). Cognate with Danish sande ‎(“to verify”), Swedish sanna ‎(“to verify”), Icelandic sanna ‎(“to verify”), Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽 ‎(suþjan), 𐍃𐌿𐌸𐌾𐍉𐌽 ‎(suþjōn, “to soothe”). See also sooth.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /suːð/
  • Rhymes: -uːð

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