Pronunciation: [pˈalɪˌe͡ɪt] (IPA) 
The spelling of the word "palliate" may seem tricky at first glance, but it can be easily broken down using IPA phonetic transcription: /ˈpæliˌeɪt/. The initial "p" is followed by the "æ" vowel sound, then the "l" and "i" create a syllabic sound, the "eɪ" diphthong is added, and finally the "t" ends the word. Despite its complicated appearance, "palliate" simply means to make a disease or problem less severe or serious.
The verb "palliate" refers to the act of alleviating, lessening, or soothing the symptoms or severity of a disease, condition, or problem, without necessarily providing a complete cure or eradicating the underlying cause. It involves providing temporary relief or making a situation more bearable, rather than directly addressing the root issue. Palliation typically focuses on managing pain, discomfort, or distress, rather than aiming for a permanent solution.
In a medical context, palliation often refers to the palliative care or treatment offered to patients with serious, chronic, or terminal illnesses. This specialized type of care aims to enhance their quality of life, offering relief from symptoms such as pain, nausea, or fatigue, and providing emotional support to both the patient and their family. Palliative care can be provided simultaneously with curative treatments, and its primary goal is to promote comfort, dignity, and well-being.
Beyond medical terminology, "palliate" is also used in a broader sense to describe actions taken to mitigate or disguise the seriousness or undesirability of a particular situation or behavior. This could involve downplaying or justifying negative actions, making excuses, or employing other methods to diminish guilt or blame. In these non-medical contexts, palliating may be seen as superficial or deceptive, as it does not address the true problem but instead attempts to cover it up or minimize its impact.
To mitigate, to reduce the severity of, to relieve slightly.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
To cover with excuses; to soften or lessen, as an offence, by favourable representations; to lessen or abate, as a disease; to ease without curing.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "palliate" derives from the Latin word "palliatus", which is the past participle of "palliare". "Palliare" is formed by combining "pallium" (cloak) with the suffix "-are" (to make). In Latin, "pallium" referred to a cloak or a covering, and thus "palliare" was used figuratively to mean "to cover up" or "to cloak". Over time, this evolved into the English word "palliate", which retains the idea of covering up or concealing something, often in terms of lessening the severity or intensity of a disease, distress, or fault.
