Forms: 3–7 aswage, 4–5 asuage, 5–8 asswage, 4– assuage. Aphet. 5–7 swage: see SUAGE. [a. OF. a(s)souage-r, -agier, Pr. a(s)suaviar, f. L. type *assuāviāre, f. ad to + suāvis sweet, agreeable. Cf. abridge, aggrege, allege (L. abbreviāre, aggraviāre, alleviāre).]
I. trans.
1. To soften, mitigate, calm, appease, allay (angry or excited feelings).
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 300. His wrath forto asuage.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., IV. 883. But yf he bite hir in his rage, Let labouryng his melancoly swage.
1513. More, Rich. III., Wks. 35/2. The displeasure of those that bare him grudge … was well asswaged.
1642. Rogers, Naaman, 32. God hath asswaged his pride, and tamed him.
1777. Watson, Philip II. (1793), II. XIV. 229. They omitted nothing in their power to assuage his resentment.
1857. Buckle, Civiliz., viii. 500. That secular spirit which, in every country, has assuaged religious animosities.
2. To pacify, appease, calm (the excited person).
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., C. 3. When heuy herttes ben hurt wyth heþyng … Suffraunce may aswagen hem.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., V. ii. 47. But Artegall him fairely gan asswage.
1598. Florio, Propitiare … to asswage God with sacrifice.
1706. Addison, Rosamond, II. vi. Kindling pity, kindling rage At once provoke me, and asswage.
1763. Sir W. Jones, Caissa, Poems (1777), 33. So may thy prayers assuage the scornful dame.
1858. Hawthorne, Fr. & It. Jrnls., I. 295. I shall … assuage and mollify myself a little after that uncongenial life of the consulate.
† 3. To relax, modify, moderate (a harsh law, etc.).
c. 1300. Beket, 1454. That the King wolde … aswagi the lithere lawes.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 287/1. I pray the … that thou asuage uppon hym the sentence of dampnacion.
4. To mitigate, alleviate, soothe, relieve (physical or mental pain); to lessen the violence of (disease).
1393. Gower, Conf., I. 267. That shulde assuage The leper.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 2815. Thus Swete-Thenkyng shalle aswage The peyne of lovers.
1561. T. N[orton], Calvin’s Inst., III. 206. Then were there ministred other plaisters to asswage such peines.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. xxii. § 1. They need medicine … to assuage the disease.
1725. Pope, Odyss., II. 29. The rest with duteous love his griefs asswage.
1868. Milman, St. Paul’s, xix. 481. Perhaps no man has assuaged so much human misery as John Howard.
5. To appease, satisfy (appetites, desires).
c. 1430. Lydg., Venus-Mass, in Lay Folk’s Mass-Bk., 394. Water or wyne … asswage the grete dryhnesse of ther gredy thruste.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., II. 791. The good old God his Hunger did asswage With Roots and Herbs.
1812. Combe (Dr. Syntax), Picturesque, x. 57. His thirst assuage With tea that’s made of balm or sage.
1856. Mrs. Stowe, Dred, II. xxvii. 278. So the fearful craving of his soul for justice was assuaged.
6. gen. To abate, lessen, diminish (esp. anything swollen). arch. or Obs.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems, 64. His olde gyltis bothe to asoft and swage.
1494. Fabyan, VII. ccxxxvi. 273. Short of body, and therwith fatte; the whiche to aswage he toke ye lesse of metis.
c. 1525. Skelton, El. Rummyng, 10. For her visage It would aswage A mannes courage.
1667. Pepys, Diary, 20, 21 Dec. My poor wife is in mighty pain, and her face miserably swelled … My wife is a little better, and her cheek asswaged.
1774. J. Bryant, Mythol., II. 284. The Dove … brought the first tidings that the waters of the deep were asswaged.
II. intr.
† 7. Of passion, pain, appetite, etc. (from senses 1, 2, 4, 5): To become less violent, to abate. Obs.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 78. Of his crueltes he gynnes forto assuage.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Merch. T., 838. His sorwe gan aswage.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas., XVIII. xvi. The great payne of love May not aswage tyl death it remove.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts, 57. Their lust asswageth till another time.
1722. De Foe, Plague, 191. The plague being come to a crisis, its fury began to assuage.
8. gen. To grow less, diminish, decrease, fall off, die away; to abate, subside. arch. or Obs.
c. 1430. Hymns to Virg. (1867), 79. Take hede … How fast ȝoure ȝouþe dooþ asswage.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. xxviii. 42. Kyng Phylippes enterprise of ye sayd Croysey beganne to asswage and waxe cold.
1611. Bible, Gen. viii. 1. And the waters asswaged.
1677. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., 242. The Fire in Lime burnt, Asswages not, but lies hid.
1858. Motley, Dutch Rep., Introd. v. 17. As the deluge assuaged.
