Condolence
/kənˈdoʊ.ləns/noun
An expression of sympathy, especially for someone who is grieving.
Did you know?Condolence ultimately comes from Latin con- (“with”) + dolēre (“to grieve, suffer”), so its oldest sense is literally to feel another person’s sorrow alongside them.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
condolēre
“to feel pain together; to sympathize”
Late Latin
Latin
condolentia
“sympathy, fellow-feeling”
Middle French
Old French
condolence
“sympathy, expression of sympathy”
16th Century
English
condolence
“an expression of sympathy for grief or loss”
Modern English
English
condolence
“an expression of sympathy, especially for someone who is grieving”