A — Alla breve to Alleviation (Part 5 of 5)

2. To lighten or lessen (physical or mental troubles); to mitigate, or make easier to be endured; as, to alleviate sorrow, pain, care, etc. ; — opposed to aggravate.

The calamity of the want of the sense of hearing is much alleviated by giving the use of letters.
Bp. Horsley.

3. To extenuate; to palliate. [R.]

He alleviates his fault by an excuse.
Johnson.

Syn. — To lessen; diminish; soften; mitigate; assuage; abate; relieve; nullify; allay. — To Alleviate, Mitigate, Assuage, Allay. These words have in common the idea of relief from some painful state; and being all figurative, they differ in their application, according to the image under which this idea is presented. Alleviate supposes a load which is lightened or taken off; as, to alleviate one's cares. Mitigate supposes something fierce which is made mild; as, to mitigate one's anguish. Assuage supposes something violent which is quieted; as, to assuage one's sorrow. Allay supposes something previously excited, but now brought down; as, to allay one's suffering or one's thirst. To alleviate the distresses of life; to mitigate the fierceness of passion or the violence of grief; to assuage angry feeling; to allay wounded sensibility.

Alleviation
(Al*le`vi*a"tion) n. [LL. alleviatio.]

1. The act of alleviating; a lightening of weight or severity; mitigation; relief.

2. That which mitigates, or makes more tolerable.

I have not wanted such alleviations of life as friendship could supply.
Johnson.