alleviate
al•le•vi•ate (əlē´vēāt´) vt. -at´ed, -at´ing
[[ME alleviaten < LL alleviatus, pp. of alleviare, for L allevare < ad-, to + levis, light2]]
1 to make less hard to bear; lighten or relieve (pain, suffering, etc.)
2 to reduce or decrease
—SYN. relieve
—al•le´vi•a´tor n.
—al•le´vi•a´tive adj., al•le´vi•ato´ry (-ətôr´ē)
