Solicitude
Etymology
From Latin "sollicitudo" (anxiety, uneasiness, care), from "sollicitus" (thoroughly disturbed, anxious), which combines "sollus" (whole, entire) and a form of "ciere" (to move, stir, agitate) — literally "thoroughly stirred up." The anxious edge is built in: solicitude is care agitated into vigilance, concern that will not sit still.
noun · /suh-LIS-uh-tood/
Attentive care and concern for another’s wellbeing, often tinged with anxiety on their behalf.
What it names
Use it for caring that watches closely and worries a little — the tender, slightly anxious attentiveness of someone who does not want another to come to harm.
Example
His solicitude for the new arrivals — checking they’d eaten, that they weren’t cold — bordered on fussing.
Related idea
Plain care can be calm and matter-of-fact; solicitude adds an anxious, hovering warmth. Overdone, it tips into the smothering — the difference between attending to someone and fretting over them.
See also