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comfort

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Comfort

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English comfort, from Old French cunfort, confort, from the stem of Late Latin confortō. It replaced Old English frofor, Middle English frovre.

Noun

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comfort (countable and uncountable, plural comforts)

  1. Contentment, ease.
    Sleep in comfort with our new mattress.
    • 1684, chapter III, in Bucaniers of America: Or, A True Account of the Moſt Remarkable Aſſaults Committed of Late Years Upon the Coaſts of the West-Indies, by Bucaniers of Jamica and Tortuga, Both English and French; Wherein are Contained More Eſpecially, the Unparallel'd Exploits of Sir Henry Morgan, Our Engliſh Jamaican Hero, who ſack'd Puerto Velo, Burnt Panama. &c [Part II]‎[1], volume 1, London: Printed for William Crooke, translation of De Americaensche Zee-Roovers, […] by John Eſquemeling, page 30:
      But all was in vain: For having ranged up and down the Woods for ſome days, without finding the leaſt comfort to their hungry deſires, they were forced to return again unto the River. […] At laſt they arrived at the Coaſt of the Sea, where they found ſome comfort and relief to their former miſeries, and alſo means to ſeek more.
    • 1850, T. S. Arthur, “A Rise in the Butter Market”, in Sketches of Life and Character‎[2], Philadelphia: J. W. Bradley, →OCLC, page 59:
      How often is the comfort of a whole family abridged by some trifling circumstance, that ought not to have made a visible impression!
    • 1937 September 21, J[ohn] R[onald] R[euel] Tolkien, “An Unexpected Party”, in The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again, revised edition, New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, published February 1966 (August 1967 printing), →OCLC, page 15:
      In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.
  2. Something that offers comfort.
    the comforts of home
  3. A consolation; something relieving suffering or worry.
    We still have the spare tire? That's a comfort at least.
  4. A cause of relief or satisfaction.
    The outcome of the peace negotiations in Moscow in 1940 was a heavy blow to the young nation, but in the same time a great comfort: at least the independency was preserved.
Synonyms
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Antonyms
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  • (antonym(s) of “contentment, ease”): austerity
Derived terms
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Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Etymology 2

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From Middle English comforten, from Old French conforter, from Late Latin confortō (“to strengthen greatly”), itself from Latin con- (“together”) + fortis (“strong”).

Verb

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comfort (third-person singular simple present comforts, present participle comforting, simple past and past participle comforted)

  1. (transitive) To relieve the distress or suffering of; to provide comfort to.
    Rob comforted Aaron because he was lost and very sad.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 86:17:
      Shew me a token foꝛ good, that they which hate me may ſee it, and bee aſhamed: becauſe thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and comfoꝛted me.
    • 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC:
      Light, above all things, excelleth in comforting the spirits of men.
  2. (obsolete) To make strong; to invigorate; to fortify; to corroborate.
    • 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, →OCLC, (please specify the page):
      God's own testimony […] doth not a little comfort and confirm the same.
  3. (obsolete) To assist or help; to aid.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Dutch

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Etymology

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From Middle Dutch confoort, from Old French confort.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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comfort n (plural comforts, diminutive comfortje n)

  1. physical comfort, ease

Derived terms

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Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Old French cunfort, confort.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /kumˈfɔrt/, /kunˈfɔrt/

Noun

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comfort (plural comforts)

  1. encouragement, assurance

Descendants

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  • English: comfort
  • Yola: comfoort

References

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