paliar

to palliate

verb pah-LYAHR Rare

Origin: from Latin palliare, 'to cloak'

Also means

to alleviate; to mitigate

Usage Note

Paliar is a formal verb meaning to reduce the severity of something without curing or resolving it — paliar el dolor ('to palliate the pain'), paliar las consecuencias ('to mitigate the consequences'). It appears frequently in medical contexts (cuidados paliativos, 'palliative care') and policy discussions. The related adjective paliativo/paliativa is common: medidas paliativas ('palliative measures').

Examples

"Los médicos solo podían paliar su sufrimiento."

Natural Translation

The doctors could only palliate his suffering.

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