To express sympathy or sorrow with someone who is grieving; to offer condolences.
From Latin 'condolere,' meaning 'to grieve together,' from 'con-' (together) + 'dolere' (to grieve, suffer). The word entered Middle English from Norman French and has been used in formal expressions of sympathy since medieval times.
This is one of the most formal sympathy words in English—people say 'express condolences' but actually using 'condole' as a verb sounds almost Shakespearean, which is probably why it's becoming less common even though it's quite precise.
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