Mollify, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mollified; p. pr. & vb. n. Mollifying.]
Etymology: [F. mollifier, L. mollificare; mollis soft + - ficare (in comp.) to make. See Enmollient, Moil, v. t., and -fy.]
1. To soften; to make tender; to reduce the hardness, harshness, or asperity of; to qualify; as, to mollify the ground. With sweet science mollified their stubborn hearts. Spenser.
2. To assuage, as pain or irritation, to appease, as excited feeling or passion; to pacify; to calm.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for mollify; he lists it under allay.
Where he writes about it:
Pacify, directly from the Latin, and appease, from the Latin through the French, signify to bring to peace; to mollify is to soften; to calm, quiet, or tranquilize is to make still; compose, to place together, unite, adjust to a calm and settled condition; to soothe (originally to assent to, humor) is to bring to pleased quietude. — from allay