Definition of "emollient" [e•mol•lient]

• Softening and soothing, especially to the skin. (adjective)
• Making less harsh or abrasive; mollifying: the emollient approach of a diplomatic mediator. (adjective)
• An agent that softens or soothes the skin. (noun)
• An agent that assuages or mollifies. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "From what I’ve been able to glean online, it’s a hormonal thing, and no amount of soaking in emollient baths seems to make a blind bit of difference."
• "Peter Riddell, author of "The Unfulfilled Prime Minister: Tony Blair and the End of Optimism," says that if Brown, once he's become prime minister, cannot be "emollient" to hard-core Blairites, the "fault lines" will widen, possibly splitting the party in two."
• ""You clearly have no idea at all about what I actually said but I wouldn't want you to let the facts get in the way of a good rant," replied the ever emollient Davies."