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solace

Etymology and origin of the English word solace

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈsɑ.lɪs/; /ˈsɒl.ɪs/ (UK)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English solas, borrowed from Old French solaz (“comfort; pleasure”),[2][3][4][5][6] from Latin sōlācium (“comfort, consolation”),[2][3][4][5][6] from sōlārī “to console, soothe”.[2][3][4][5][6] It is related to console.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Comfort, consolation, relief of sorrow or distress (c. 1290);[7][3][4] the verb “to comfort, cheer” dates from about 1280–97.[3][7]

Semantic evolution

In Middle English solace also meant pleasure, entertainment or amusement (1297), a sense now obsolete,[7][4] and to make solace could mean to enjoy oneself sexually.[4] The Old French verb often had a sexual connotation as well.[4] The sense “that which gives comfort” is as old as the main sense (c. 1290).[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1280 – verb, to comfort, console.[3]
  • c. 1290 – noun, comfort; a source of comfort.[7][3]
  • 1297 – pleasure, amusement (obsolete).[7]
  • 1667 – verb, to allay or soothe (grief).[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Comfort in sorrow, misfortune or distress; consolation.
  2. A source of comfort or relief.

Verb

  1. To comfort, cheer or console.
  2. To allay or soothe, as in solace grief.

Word family

  • solacer
  • solacement
  • console
  • consolation
  • comfort

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Solace.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/solace. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·