condolence

English

Etymology

From condole +‎ -ence, or from Middle French condoléance, or formed from the root of Latin condoleō (“I sympathize”), from con- (“together, with”) and doleō (“I hurt, suffer, have pain”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /kənˈdoʊləns/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (US, plural); “condolences”:

  (file)

• (Philippines) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒndələns/

Noun

condolence (countable and uncountable, plural condolences)

1. (uncountable) Comfort, support or sympathy.

   There was not much to do after the accident but offer what condolence I could.

2. (countable, usually in the plural) An expression of comfort, support, or sympathy offered to the family and friends of somebody who has died.

   I sent her a card expressing my condolences after her mother passed away.

Derived terms

• book of condolence
• condolence card

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *delh₁- (0 c, 11 e)

Translations

comfort, support or sympathy — see also condolences

• Armenian: ցավակցություն (hy) (cʻavakcʻutʻyun), կարեկցանք (hy) (karekcʻankʻ)
• Belarusian: спачува́нне (be) n (spačuvánnje)
• Bulgarian: съчу́вствие (bg) n (sǎčúvstvie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 同情 (zh) (tóngqíng), 愛心 / 爱心 (zh) (àixīn)

• Czech: soustrast (cs) f
• Finnish: osanotto (fi), myötätunto (fi), pahoittelu (fi)
• French: réconfort (fr) m
• Georgian: თანაგრძნობა (tanagrʒnoba)
• German: Beileid (de) m, Anteilnahme (de) f
• Italian: conforto (it) m
• Japanese: 同情 (ja) (どうじょう, dōjō)
• Korean: 동정(同情) (ko) (dongjeong)
• Macedonian: сочувство n (sočuvstvo)
• Polish: współczucie (pl) n
• Romanian: compătimire (ro) f, consolare (ro) f
• Russian: сочу́вствие (ru) n (sočúvstvije), соболе́знование (ru) n (soboléznovanije)
• Slovak: sústrasť f
• Ukrainian: співчуття́ n (spivčuttjá)

sympathy when someone has died — see also condolences

• Arabic: تَأْسِيَة f (taʔsiya), تَعْزِيَة f (taʕziya)
• Armenian: ցավակցություն (hy) (cʻavakcʻutʻyun)
• Belarusian: спачува́нне (be) n (spačuvánnje)
• Berber:

  Tashelhit: [script needed] m (afcad)

• Bulgarian: съболе́знования (bg) n pl (sǎboléznovanija)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 哀悼 (zh) (āidào), 吊慰 (zh) (diàowèi)

• Czech: kondolence f, soustrast (cs) f
• Danish: kondolence c
• Dutch: condoleance (nl) f
• Estonian: kaastunne, kaastundeavaldus
• Finnish: osanotto (fi), surunvalittelu (fi)
• French: condoléances (fr) f pl
• German: Kondolenz (de) f
• Hungarian: részvét (hu)
• Italian: condoglianze (it)
• Japanese: お悔やみ (ja) (おくやみ, okuyami), 哀悼 (ja) (あいとう, aitō), 弔意 (ja) (ちょうい, chōi)
• Korean: 애도(哀悼) (ko) (aedo), 조의(弔意) (ko) (joui)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kondolanse m

• Polish: kondolencje (pl) f pl
• Portuguese: condolência (pt) f, pêsame (pt) m
• Romanian: condoleanțe (ro) f pl
• Russian: соболе́знование (ru) n (soboléznovanije), соболе́знования (ru) n pl (soboléznovanija)
• Slovak: kondolencia f, sústrasť f
• Spanish: pésame (es) m, péname m, condolencia (es) f
• Swedish: kondoleans (sv) c
• Tagalog: hingaba, paghihingaba, pakikiramay
• Turkish: başsağlığı (tr), taziye (tr)
• Ukrainian: співчуття́ n (spivčuttjá)