conciliate

/kənˌsɪliˈeɪt/

Other forms: conciliating; conciliated; conciliates

The verb conciliate means to placate, appease, or pacify. If you are eating at a restaurant and the waiter accidentally spills a drink on you, the manager may try to conciliate you by picking up the tab for your meal.

You may be more familiar with the term conciliation ––it can mean the flowers you bring to conciliate your girlfriend after a fight, or a politician's conciliatory offer to fund a new playground to a community that's just lost its school. Conciliate comes from the Latin word conciliare, meaning "to unite." Conciliare in turn comes from the Latin word concilium, meaning "council." If you remember their common etymology, you can remember that, like council, conciliate is spelled with only one l.

Definitions of conciliate

1. verb

   cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
   synonyms: appease, assuage, gentle, gruntle, lenify, mollify, pacify, placate

   type of:

   calm, calm down, lull, quiet, quieten, still, tranquilize, tranquillise, tranquillize

   make calm or still
2. verb

   come to terms
   synonyms: make up, patch up, reconcile, settle

   types:

   appease, propitiate

   make peace with

   make peace

   end hostilities

   type of:

   agree, concord, concur, hold

   be in accord; be in agreement
3. verb

   make (one thing) compatible with (another)
   synonyms: accommodate, reconcile

   type of:

   harmonise, harmonize

   bring (several things) into consonance or relate harmoniously