Allay
/əˈleɪ/
verbIntermediate📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning1 question
Definitions
1
To lessen or put an end to something unpleasant
/əˈleɪ/
verbpositiveIntermediate
General
To diminish or relieve (pain, distress, anxiety, etc.)
The cool breeze allayed the heat.
💡 Simply: To make something less intense or serious.
More Examples
2
His kind words allayed her fears.
How It's Used
Medical
"The doctor prescribed medication to allay his patient's pain."
Psychology
"Therapy sessions helped allay her anxieties."
From Middle English *allayen, from Old French alaier, from a- + laier "to let, permit". The sense evolved from "to let down, lower" to "to soothe, calm".
Historically, the word was used more broadly to mean 'to lower' or 'to subdue,' as seen in older texts relating to military conflicts or lowering of prices.
Memory tip
Think of 'laying' down worries or pain.
Word Origin
LanguageOld French
Original meaning
"to let, permit"
allay fearsallay anxietiesallay concernsallay suspicion
Common misspellings
alayallays
Practice
Usage
20%Spoken
80%Written