alleviate
/əˈliːviˌeɪt/verb
make suffering, difficulty, or a burden less severe
From Latin ad- (to) + Latin levis (light in weight).
Lineage
The story
Picture a Roman lifting a heavy pack from a traveler’s shoulders: that physical act is at the heart of Latin alleviāre, “to lift up” or “lighten.” The verb joins ad-, “to,” with levis, “light” in weight, and its past participle alleviatus traveled into English by the early 15th century. The same Latin levis gives us levity—the lightness of manner—and levitate, where the old idea of being light seems almost to float. English alleviate began with a burden you could imagine carrying, then became especially useful for burdens you cannot see: pain, grief, and hardship. To alleviate something is, etymologically, to take a little of its weight off someone’s back.