Condole
/kənˈdoʊl/noun
To express sympathy or sorrow for someone’s loss or misfortune.
Did you know?Condole comes from Latin condolēre, literally “to suffer with,” from com- “together” + dolēre “to feel pain,” the same ancient pain-root behind doleful.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*del-
“to feel pain, suffer”
Latin
Latin
dolēre
“to feel pain, grieve”
Latin
Latin
condolēre
“to suffer with, sympathize”
Middle French
Old French
condouloir
“to sympathize, lament with”
Late Middle English
English
condolen
“to express sorrow with someone”
Modern English
English
condole
“to express sympathy or sorrow for another’s loss”
Explore more surprising origins