Palliation
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The alleviation of a disease's symptoms without a cure; temporary relief. countable, uncountable
"The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite. There is something humiliating about it."
- 2 to act in such a way as to cause an offense to seem less serious wordnet
- 3 Extenuation; mitigation. countable, uncountable
"The strong hand of the law is around your life and your wealth, but he who takes from you all that renders them valuable, the chances are, that his offence will find palliation and excuse; nay, that the laughers will be on his side."
- 4 easing the severity of a pain or a disease without removing the cause wordnet
Example
More examples"The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite. There is something humiliating about it."
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French palliation, from Latin palliare (“to cloak; to conceal”), from Latin pallium (“cloak”). By surface analysis, palliate + -ion.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.