Comfort - We all know what that means, don't we? Yet, a friend sent me this link about comfort today, which discusses how many different dimensions there are to "comfort." Further, I didn't know that it used to mean "to strengthen." Does anyone know how that definition evolved?

Rather the opposite: comfort = strengthen (fortis 'strong'), and thus support, encourage. Then aid, abet, still in legal use (aid and comfort to the enemy). The modern senses 'support in time of trouble' and 'ease, good support' are derivative.