Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Palliative \Pal"li*a*tive\, a. [Cf. F. palliatif.]
   Serving to palliate; serving to extenuate or mitigate.

Palliative \Pal"li*a*tive\, n.
   That which palliates; a palliative agent. --Sir W. Scott.

Source : WordNet®

palliative
     adj : moderating pain or sorrow by making it easier to bear [syn:
           {alleviative}, {alleviatory}, {lenitive}, {mitigative},
            {mitigatory}]
     n : remedy that alleviates pain without curing [syn: {alleviant},
          {alleviator}]