Console
/kənˈsoʊl/noun
To comfort or soothe someone, especially in distress.
Did you know?English *console* comes from Latin *consolārī*, meaning to comfort strongly, built from *com-* + *solārī*; its ancient relatives include surprisingly unrelated words tied to the same PIE root *sel-* (“to be whole, well”).
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sel-
“to be whole, well, in good condition”
Latin
Latin
consolārī
“to comfort, soothe, encourage”
Old French
Old French
consoler
“to comfort, console”
Middle English
English
consolen
“to comfort deeply; to alleviate grief”
Modern English
English
console
“to comfort or soothe someone in distress”