Allay
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Allay \Al*lay"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Allayed}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Allaying}.] [OE. alaien, aleggen, to lay down, put down,
humble, put an end to, AS. [=a]lecgan; [=a]- (cf. Goth. us-,
G. er-, orig. meaning out) + lecgan to lay; but confused with
old forms of allege, alloy, alegge. See {Lay}.]
1. To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to
quell; to calm; as, to allay popular excitement; to allay
the tumult of the passions.
[1913 Webster]
2. To alleviate; to abate; to mitigate; as, to allay the
severity of affliction or the bitterness of adversity.
[1913 Webster]
It would allay the burning quality of that fell
poison. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: To alleviate; check; repress; assuage; appease; abate;
subdue; destroy; compose; soothe; calm; quiet. See
{Alleviate}.
[1913 Webster]
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
120 Moby Thesaurus words for "allay":
abate, alleviate, anesthetize, appease, assuage, attemper, balm,
bank the fire, benumb, blunt, calm, chasten, cloy, compose,
conciliate, constrain, control, cool, cram, cushion, damp, dampen,
de-emphasize, deaden, deaden the pain, defuse, deliver, diminish,
disburden, disembarrass, disencumber, downplay, dulcify, dull,
ease, ease matters, engorge, extenuate, feast, feed, fill, fill up,
foment, free, give relief, glut, gorge, gratify, jade,
keep within bounds, lay, lay the dust, lenify, lessen, lighten,
lull, mitigate, moderate, modulate, mollify, numb, obtund,
overdose, overfeed, overfill, overgorge, oversaturate, overstuff,
pacify, pad, pall, palliate, placate, play down, poultice,
pour balm into, pour balm on, pour oil on, propitiate, quench,
quiet, quieten, reduce, reduce the temperature, regale, release,
relieve, restrain, salve, sate, satiate, satisfy, saturate, settle,
slacken, slake, slow down, smooth, smooth down, smooth over,
smother, sober, sober down, soften, soothe, stifle, still, stuff,
stupe, subdue, supersaturate, suppress, surfeit, tame, temper,
tone down, tranquilize, tune down, underplay, weaken
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