soothe

views updated

soothe / soō[voicedth]/ • v. [tr.] gently calm (a person or their feelings): a shot of brandy might soothe his nerves | [as adj.] (soothing) she put on some soothing music. ∎  reduce pain or discomfort in (a part of the body): to soothe the skin try chamomile or thyme. ∎  relieve or ease (pain): it contains a mild anesthetic to soothe the pain.DERIVATIVES: sooth·er n.sooth·ing·ly adv.

More From encyclopedia.com