solace
/ˈsɒl.ɪs/
noun
Origin
Latin
solacium — comfort, relief
Overview
Meaning Now
- Comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness.
- A source of relief or alleviation of grief.
Literal older meaning
comfort, relief, relaxation
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
solas
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word entered English during a period of heavy French influence on the vocabulary, replacing or supplementing Old English terms for comfort. It retains a somewhat literary or formal tone compared to its synonym 'comfort'.
Evolution
- Latin
solari
“to comfort, console”
- Latin
solacium
“relief, consolation”
Derivative of solari with suffix -ium.
- Old French
solas
“comfort, pleasure”
- Middle English
solas
“comfort, solace”
Adopted into Middle English via French.
- Modern English
solace
“comfort in distress”
Spelling normalized with terminal -e.
Connections
Word parts
sol-
root
comfort
-ace
suffix
noun marker from Latin -acium
Related across languages
French
solace (less common, literary)
Italian
solazzo
amusement, relief
Explore next
Related to solace
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.