alleviate
/əˈliviˌeɪt/uh-LEE-vee-ayt
/əˈliviˌeɪt/uh-LEE-vee-ayt
Meaningto lighten
Common meaning: to make pain or trouble lighter
- alto, towards (form of ad-)
- levlight in weight; to raiseLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1054 · scan
- iateverb ending: to make or treat
‘to, towards (form of ad-)’ + ‘light in weight’ → alleviate
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin levis; levō ‘light in weight; to raise’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry levis, p. 1054 · dictionary scan
Roots
- levis; levō Latin “light in weight; to raise”
Related words
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