soothe Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb give moral or emotional strength to
    comfort; console; solace.
  2. verb cause to feel better
    • the medicine soothes the pain of the inflammation

WordNet

Soothe transitive verb
Etymology
Originally, to assent to as true; OE. soien to verify, AS. gesian to prove the truth of, to bear witness. See Sooth, a.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Soothed ; present participle & verbal noun Soothing
Definitions
  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. Shak.
    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 1913