mollify
/ˈmɒlɪfʌɪ/
verb
mollifies, mollifying, mollified
[with object]
1 Appease the anger or anxiety of (someone)
1.1 rare Reduce the severity of (something)
Origin
Late Middle English (also in the sense ‘make soft or supple’): from French mollifier or Latin mollificare, from mollis ‘soft’.
==========
Martin attempted to mollify Molly, a fruitless effort, considering.