Palliate
To palliate a disease is to treat it partially and insofar as possible but not cure it completely. Palliation cloaks a disease. Palliate has several senses, including: to reduce the severity of (a disease); to moderate the intensity of something; and to cover by excuses and apologies. The Latin "pallium" referred to a type of cloak in ancient Greece and Rome and, later, to a white woolen band with pendants in front and back worn by the pope or an archbishop as a symbol of full episcopal authority. Pallium was modified to form "palliate," an adjective meaning "cloaked" or "concealed" and a verb meaning "to cloak," "to cloth," or "to shelter." Today "palliate" implies disguising or concealing badness or evil and suggests alleviating the vile effects of wickedness or illness.
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To
reduce the severity of; to
relieve slightly. SYN:
mitigate. [L. palliatus (adj.), dressed in a pallium, cloaked]
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pal·li·ate 'pal-ē-.āt vt,
-at·ed;
-at·ing to reduce the violence of (a disease): ease without curing
pal·li·a·tion .pal-ē-'ā-shən n
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pal·li·ate (palґe-āt) to reduce the severity of; to relieve.
Medical dictionary.
2011.