Condolences

This past weekend my grandmother's sister passed on. I just called her one and only daughter to check up on her and see if there was anything I could do... which got me thinking of condolences. I've heard the word used before in the context of "my condolences", "sending condolences", etc... Then I wondered, "what are condolences anyway?" So, I looked it up.^(link)

con·do·lence

1. Sympathy with a person who has experienced pain, grief, or misfortune: paid a visit of condolence to the grieving family.
2. An expression or declaration of such sympathy.

Ah! Now, I get it. Basically it's sympathy in the case of death. Well now I know... and knowing is half the battle. Yo Joe!