Demulceo, demulces, demulsi, demulsum, demulcêre. Teren. To stroke gently and softly with the hande. To mittigate or intreate gently.Demulcere caput.To stroke the head gently.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
dē-mulcĕo, lsi, mulctum, 2, v. a., to stroke down, to stroke caressingly (rare). I. Prop.: caput tibi, Ter. Heaut. 4, 5, 14: dorsum, Liv. 9, 16 fin.: aures, Lact. de Ira, 7, 9: crura, Gell. 5, 14, 12.—II.Trop., to soften, allure: aures omnium mentesque demulsit, Gell. 16, 19, 6; cf.: ita motus et demulctus et captus est, ut, etc., id. 3, 13 fin.: eum, id. 18, 2, 1.