Having the effect of making something less severe, serious, or painful. Often used in legal contexts to describe circumstances that reduce culpability.
From Latin 'mitigatus', past participle of 'mitigare' meaning 'to soften, make mild'. Combines 'mitis' (mild, soft) with 'agere' (to drive, do), literally meaning 'to make mild'.
The concept of mitigation reveals humanity's recognition that context matters in judgment - that identical actions can have different moral weights depending on circumstances. This principle is so fundamental that it appears in legal systems worldwide, from ancient Roman law to modern criminal justice.
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