emotional supportn.
/ᵻˌməʊʃn̩(ə)l səˈpɔːt/, /ᵻˌməʊʃən(ə)l səˈpɔːt/, U.S. /əˌmoʊʃ(ə)nəl səˈpɔrt/ Help or encouragement with one's emotional or psychological welfare; (also) compassionate and empathetic support for another.
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1874 National Q. Rev. Mar. 240 Agassiz was both self-reliant and independent in the sense of being able and willing to do what he attempted without assistance, but..not in the sense of not needing sympathy and emotional support.
1937 Pi Lambda Theta Jrnl. Mar. 42/1 All summer and all fall the mother had clung to the girl for emotional support.
1986 Toronto Star (Nexis) 9 Oct. e5 A spouse is a top asset to a top career. Not just [in] the traditional aspect of ‘spousing’ that brings to mind emotional support and sympathetic listening.
2020 C. Atkins Bit of Stretch v. 133 Listeners provide confidential emotional support to their fellow inmates who are struggling to cope.
Compounds
Designating an animal whose presence has a beneficial effect on a person, esp. someone diagnosed with a psychological or emotional disorder such as anxiety or depression; often in emotional support animal, emotional support dog.Cf. comfort animal n. at comfort n. Additions, therapy animal n. at therapy n. Additions.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > dogs used for specific purposes > [noun] > miscellaneous types of
dancer1576
truffle dog1760
truffler1783
truffle hound1796
pack dog1844
war-dog1852
dog soldier1869
guide dog1932
sniffer dog1964
emotional support dog1993
1993 Newsweek 1 Nov. 10/1 Emotional-support dogs are used in a variety of ways. For example, a canine companion can ease the way for a person suffering from agoraphobia to begin leaving the house.
1995 Salt Lake Tribune 1 Oct. j2/2 A Siamese kitten curled up in the lap of a depressed teen-age girl in a mental hospital, making her smile for the first time,..a true ‘emotional support’ cat.
2000 Washington Post 29 July 9/4 If you have..a diagnosis of depression, you qualify [sc. for a waiver of the ‘no pets’ rule]. If you would be chronically sad without an emotional support animal, you probably qualify.
2020 Leicester Mercury (Nexis) 12 Dec. 10 The woman has now relocated to a new area in a secure property with an emotional support dog and other pets to assist her mental health needs.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2021; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1874