† comfortativeadj.n.
Obsolete.
A. adj. Having the quality of comforting.
1. Strengthening, reviving (medicine, food, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > restoratives, tonics, or stimulants > [adjective] > restorative
comfortive1377
restaurativea1393
comfortativea1398
resumptivea1398
cordial?a1425
corroborative1583
analeptical1606
corroborant1626
analeptica1629
vivifying1665
roborant1768
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. xli. 935 Safroun may be kepte x. ȝere, and is..temperat in his qualite [emended in ed. to qualitees], and þerfore it is confortatif.
c1440 Gesta Romanorum (Add. MS.) 338 It must be wyne confortatif [v.r. comfortable] that shuld be yeven to the sike.
1567 T. Drant tr. Horace Pistles in tr. Horace Arte of Poetrie sig. Fv For life, and limmes confortityue.
1620 T. Venner Via Recta vii. 149 It is of a notable abstersiue, consolidatiue and confortatiue [1650 comfortative] faculty.
1683 W. Salmon Doron Medicum i. 299 Incarnative, Comfortative, Regenerative.
2. Cheering; cheerful. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > cheerfulness > [adjective] > cheering or suggestive of cheerfulness
comfortative1377
comfortive1377
cheerfula1440
comfortablec1460
cheering1549
sunny1565
sunshine1594
heartsome1596
sprightly1598
livening1605
brightening1642
exhilarating1644
encheering1652
cheery1655
spiriting1671
sunshiny1686
riant1720
sonsy1721
genial1747
cheerfulizing1840
cheer-up1846
enlivening1862
exhilarative1864
exhilarant1866
exhilaratory1871
heartening1895
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xv. 213 Þe loue þat lith in his herte maketh hym lyȝte of speche, And is companable and confortatyf, as cryst bit hymselue, Nolite fieri sicut ypocrite, tristes, etc.
B. n.
A strengthening or reviving medicine, a cordial. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > restoratives, tonics, or stimulants > [noun] > restorative
resumptivea1398
comfortative1398
restorative?a1439
restaurativec1450
restaurationa1500
restoritya1500
reviver1542
comforter1563
refriscative1580
comfortive1584
analeptic1634
refective1667
recruiter1729
restoration1823
recuperator1862
reconstituent1873
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) vii. xxxii. 247 Ayenst herte quakynge men shall yeue confortatyues.
1564 P. Moore Hope of Health ii. ix. 28 Borage..is a comfortatiue to the harte.
1684 tr. T. Bonet Guide Pract. Physician xix. 695 Confortatives alone without stimulaters..have not had the desired effect.
a1739 C. Jarvis tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote (1742) II. iv. vi. 304 The two hundred crowns in gold..as a cordial, and comfortative, I carry next my heart.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online September 2021).
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adj.n.1377