PALLIATE • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Palliate

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verb

Palliate v. t. (past & past part. palliated; pres. part. palliating)

To cover with a mantle or cloak; to cover up; to hide. (Obs.) "Being palliated with a pilgrim's coat."

To cover with excuses; to conceal the enormity of, by excuses and apologies; to extenuate; as, to palliate faults. "They never hide or palliate their vices."

To reduce in violence; to lessen or abate; to mitigate; to ease without curing; as, to palliate a disease. "To palliate dullness, and give time a shove."

Synonyms: To cover; cloak; hide; extenuate; conceal. To Palliate, Extenuate, Cloak. These words, as here compared, are used in a figurative sense in reference to our treatment of wrong action. We cloak in order to conceal completely. We extenuate a crime when we endeavor to show that it is less than has been supposed; we palliate a crime when we endeavor to cover or conceal its enormity, at least in part. This naturally leads us to soften some of its features, and thus palliate approaches extenuate till they have become nearly or quite identical. "To palliate is not now used, though it once was, in the sense of wholly cloaking or covering over, as it might be, our sins, but in that of extenuating; to palliate our faults is not to hide them altogether, but to seek to diminish their guilt in part."

adjective

Palliate adj.

Covered with a mantle; cloaked; hidden; disguised. (Obs.)

Eased; mitigated; alleviated. (Obs.)

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Etymology of 'Palliate'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Palliate" Quotes from Famous Books

... Consent. This last Circumstance was certainly the best adapted to fix her; for the new Kismare, like all the rest of his Fraternity, was making the most of his Time in the Management of the Finances, and relying on his Spouse's Favour, he was above taking proper Precautions to conceal or palliate his Imbezzlements. Kelirieu took Care to fill Vorompdap with Apprehensions, that Zeokinizul would infallibly call him to an Account, the most favourable Consequence whereof, would be a Confiscation of all his Substance. It was then high Time to come to a Resolution. ...

— The Amours of Zeokinizul, King of the Kofirans - Translated from the Arabic of the famous Traveller Krinelbol • Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crbillon

... will be more than ever Marion was to him! She knew not-O! she could not-the boundless love that fills my heart for him!" Edwin's blushes at this wild declaration told her how far she had betrayed herself. She attempted to palliate what she could no longer conceal, and, covering her face with her hand, exclaimed, "You, who love Sir William Wallace, cannot be surprised that all who adore human excellence should participate in that sentiment. How could I see him, the benefactor of my family, ...

— The Scottish Chiefs • Miss Jane Porter

... error, and he has sufficient address to conceal it, or sufficient ingenuity to palliate it, but he does neither; instead of availing himself of concealment and palliation, with the candor of a great mind, he confesses his error, and makes all the apology or atonement which the occasion requires. None has a title ...

— Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 8, January, 1851 • Various

... till it has faded into nothingness. Instead of the life being the main thing, and being absolutely necessary to give value and emphasis to the belief, it has come to pass that it is the belief, and the acceptance of the belief, that has been held to hallow the life and excuse and palliate its errors. ...

— The Soul of a People • H. Fielding

... duty, this true Queen, this impersonated sovereignty, whom her Poet crowns with his choicest graces, on whom he devolves the task of prefacing this so critical, and, one might think, perhaps, perilous exhibition. But her description does not disguise the matter, or palliate its extremity. ...

— The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere Unfolded • Delia Bacon

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