Allay
/əˈleɪ/noun
To lessen the intensity of something, especially pain, fear, or anger.
Did you know?Allay is historically tied to the idea of “laying” something down or lowering it, not to “alliance” or “alley,” and its early senses include calming, soothing, and reducing a burden.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*legh-
“to lie down, lay, place”
Old English
OE
ālǣġan
“to put down, lay down, diminish, lower”
Middle English
ME
allayen
“to calm, assuage, relieve”
16th Century
English
allay
“to lessen the force of pain, grief, fear, or heat”
Modern English
English
allay
“to reduce in intensity or severity”