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comfort

Pronunciation: /ˈkʌmfət/

Translate comfort | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of comfort

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint:there is room for four people to travel in comfort
  • (comforts) things that contribute to physical ease and well-being:the low upholstered chair was one of the room’s few comforts
  • prosperity and the pleasant lifestyle secured by it:my father left us enough to live in comfort
  • 2consolation for grief or anxiety:a few words of comfort they should take comfort that help is available
  • [in singular] a person or thing that gives consolation or alleviates a difficult situation:his friendship was a great comfort
  • 3US dialect a warm quilt.

verb

[with object]
  • make (someone) feel less unhappy or anxious:her friend tried to comfort her
  • help (someone) feel at ease; reassure:her strength comforted and protected me

Origin:

Middle English (as a noun, in the senses 'strengthening, support, consolation'; as a verb, in the senses 'strengthen, give support, console'): from Old French confort (noun), conforter (verb), from late Latin confortare 'strengthen', from com- (expressing intensive force) + Latin fortis 'strong'. The sense 'something producing physical ease' arose in the mid 17th century

comfort in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of comfort in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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