Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To ease; lighten; relieve; abate.
  • noun Relief; ease; abatement; cessation.
  • noun Comfort; happiness.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete Release; remission; ease; relief.
  • transitive verb obsolete To free, as from care or pain; to relieve.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Relief; ease; abatement; cessation; release.
  • noun Comfort; happiness.
  • noun A respite from pain.
  • verb transitive To ease; lighten; relieve; abate.
  • verb To blin; cease; stop.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English lis, lisse, lysse, from Old English liss, līs, līþs ("grace, favor, love, kindness, mercy, joy, peace, rest, remission, forgiveness, alleviation, salvation"), from Proto-Germanic *linþesjō, *lenþesjō (“rest”), from Proto-Indo-European *lent- (“bendsome, resilient”). Cognate with Danish lise ("solace, relief"), Swedish lisa ("solace, relief"). Related to Old English līþe ("lithe, soft, gentle, meek, mild, serene, benign, gracious, pleasant, sweet"). See lithe.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English lissen, lyssen, from Old English lissan ("to subdue"), from Old English liss. Cognate with Swedish lisa ("to soften, weaken"). See above.

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