To make something less severe or intense; to calm, soothe, or ease pain or distress.
From Old French assuager, combining a- (to) + suage (ease, related to sweet and suave). The word evolved from meaning 'to sweeten' to 'to ease' or 'make mild.'
Assuage is one of those rare words where the origin literally meant to 'sweeten,' and we still use it to sweeten bitter situations by easing suffering or anger.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.