Word of the Day

: September 4, 2011

palliate

verb PAL-ee-ayt

What It Means

1 : to reduce the violence of (a disease); also : to ease (symptoms) without curing the underlying disease

2 : to cover by excuses and apologies

3 : to moderate the intensity of

palliate in Context

Don't try to palliate your constant lying by claiming that everybody lies.

"Insomnia is a chronic disorder that needs to be managed with careful and often long-term pharmacotherapy, among other treatments, rather than relegated as a troublesome symptom that needs to be palliated over the short term." -- From an article by Dr. Qanta Ahmed in USA TODAY, July 29, 2011

Did You Know?

Long ago, the ancient Romans had a name for the cloak-like garb that was worn by the Greeks (distinguishing it from their own "toga"); the name was "pallium." In the 15th century, English speakers modified the Late Latin word "palliatus," which derives from "pallium," to form "palliate." Our term, used initially as both an adjective and a verb, never had the literal Latin sense referring to the cloak you wear, but it took on the figurative "cloak" of protection. Specifically, the verb "palliate" meant (as it still can mean) "to lessen the intensity of a disease." Nowadays, "palliate" can be used as a synonym of "gloss" or "whitewash" when someone is attempting to disguise something bad.