comfort

/ˈkʌmfət/KUHM-furt

/ˈkʌmfɚt/KUHM-furt

Meaningto make strong

Common meaning: ease of body or mind

Other meanings: to console

comwith, together
fortstrong, braveLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 770 · scan

‘with, together’ + ‘strong, brave’ → comfort

Journey through time

Latinfortis‘strong, brave’
Englishcomfort‘ease of body or mind’ · today

com- also in: compel combust command commend comment

fort also in: fort fortify fortitude force effort

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 fortis ‘strong, brave’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry fortis, p. 217 · dictionary scan; Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry COMFORT, p. 123 · dictionary scan

Roots

fortis Latin “strong, brave”

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