(a) To relieve pain, alleviate a pathological condition; ppl. swaginge, mitigative, pain-relieving; ?also, as noun: pain-relieving medicines; (b) of a pain, sickness, etc.: to become less severe, improve; of a fainting spell: come to an end; ~ awei, of festering: dissipate; (c) of a person: to be relieved (of a pathological condition).

(a) To alleviate (physical pain, suffering, etc.), relieve, soothe; also, relieve (hunger, the evil of starvation); fig. soothe the pain of (strokes); swaged lesse, somewhat alleviated; (b) to relieve (a sore, cough, paralysis, a pathological condition); cause (festering) to disappear; (c) ~ from, to give (sb.) relief from (the vexation of fevers).

(a) Of an emotion: to grow weaker, decrease, subside; of a sinful inclination: diminish, pass away; (b) to mitigate (sorrow, emotional pain), soothe; calm (someone's anger, bitterness, violence of desire, etc.), assuage; appease (God's wrath); also, calm (a mule's bad disposition) [quot. ?1440]; ?placate (one's heart) [last quot.]; (c) to pacify (sb., God), appease; (d) to comfort (sb.); ~ from, give (sb.) relief from (sth.); (e) to satisfy (sb.) sexually.

(a) To reduce (bodily heat), moderate (the temperature of an organ, a part of the body, etc.); (b) to reduce (swelling, or a swelling, in the body); also, of a bodily part: become less swollen; (c) to reduce (the dominance of a quality in a substance), tone down.

(a) To soften or amend (an evil law); temper (justice with mercy); mitigate the consequences of (sins), make amends for; soften (the severity of someone's words); (b) ben swaged, of power, manhood: to be weakened, be reduced; of the earth or its strength: be diminished.

(a) To calm (the motion of waters, blasts of winds, etc.); also, of the wind: become quiet, grow calm; (b) to mitigate (the sun's heat); fig. dispel (darkness, stinking filth).

(a) To stop an action, cease, leave off; put an end to (argument, tyranny); still (complaint), quiet (gossip); ~ of, cease from (complaining); (b) of a prosperous or fortunate state: to come to an end; of a plague: subside; of sin, praise: abate; (c) of the remaining days of life: to grow fewer.

Fig. To let (reins, bridles) go slack, relax, loosen.