confortare

Confortare is an Italian verb that means to comfort, reassure, or strengthen someone morally or emotionally. It is used transitively with a direct object, as in confortare qualcuno (to comfort someone) or confortare una persona in lutto (to comfort a person who is grieving). The reflexive form, confortarsi, denotes seeking or taking comfort, as in mi sono confortato sapendo che era al sicuro (I took comfort in knowing that he was safe).

Etymology and related forms: Confortare comes from Latin confortare, formed with com- (a variant of con-) and fort- (strong). It is cognate with other Romance languages’ equivalents, such as Spanish confortar and French conforter. The noun confort is the related term for the sense of ease or solace, while confortante describes something that is comforting and comforting as an adjective. The related word comfort in English shares the same Latin root.

Conjugation and usage: Confortare is a regular -are verb of the first conjugation. In the present indicative, the forms are: io conforto, tu conforti, lui/lei conforta, noi confortiamo, voi confortate, loro confortano. The verb also appears in various tenses and moods following standard patterns for -are verbs, and the reflexive form follows the normal reflexive conjugation: io mi conforto, tu ti conforti, lui/lei si conforta, noi ci confortiamo, voi vi confortate, loro si confortano.

See also: conforto, confortante, confortevole, consolation, reassurance. Confortare is commonly used in formal, literary, or religious registers, but remains an everyday verb in standard Italian.