This is the 5446th most frequent Japanese word.
あやす
To soothe or calm, often by gently comforting, typically used for babies or children.
Here, あやす is used to describe the act of comforting or amusing a baby to bring them joy.
赤ちゃんを笑わせるためにあやした。
I soothed the baby to make them laugh.
In this sentence, あやす is applied to calming a pet, showing its versatility in soothing actions beyond human subjects.
猫が鳴いていたので、なだめるようにあやした。
Since the cat was crying, I soothed it to calm it down.
Here, あやす is used metaphorically to describe comforting someone's emotional state, expanding its use from physical soothing to emotional support.