ALLAY
What does "ALLAY" mean?
To reduce or relieve a fear, worry, or pain.
Meanings
- To lessen or calm an emotion such as fear, anxiety, or anger. The captain's steady voice allayed the passengers' fears. formal
- To soothe or relieve a physical discomfort, such as pain or thirst. A cool drink allayed her thirst. formal
Did you know?
- To 'allay' a fear is, at its root, to 'lay it down': the word comes from Old English 'alecgan', built on the same 'lay' you use when you lay something to rest.
Word origin
From Old English 'alecgan' (to lay down, put aside), from 'a-' plus 'lecgan' (to lay); its modern shape was influenced by unrelated French verbs of similar sound.
Remember it
ALLAY = 'all-lay' - to allay a worry is to lay it all down.
A little poem
The storm still leans against the windowpane;
your hand on mine allays it, all the same.
couplet
Wordplay
- I tried to allay my fear of laziness by lying down to think about it. Etymologically that's correct - 'allay' means to lay it down.
What it teaches
To allay a fear you need not remove the danger, only help someone set its weight down for a while.
Quick facts
What does ALLAY mean?
To reduce or relieve a fear, worry, or pain.
Is ALLAY a valid word?
Yes — ALLAY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is ALLAY?
ALLAY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does ALLAY come from?
From Old English 'alecgan' (to lay down, put aside), from 'a-' plus 'lecgan' (to lay); its modern shape was influenced by unrelated French verbs of similar sound.
What can ALLAY teach us?
To allay a fear you need not remove the danger, only help someone set its weight down for a while.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.