■ noun
1》 the alleviation or removal of pain, anxiety, or distress.
↘a feeling or cause of ~.
↘(usu. light ~ ) a temporary break in a generally tense or tedious situation.
2》 financial or practical assistance given to those in special need or difficulty.
3》 a person or group of people replacing others who have been on duty.
↘ Brit. an extra vehicle providing supplementary public transport at peak times or in emergencies.
4》 the raising of a siege on a town.
5》 distinctness due to being accentuated.
6》 a method of moulding, carving, or stamping in which the design stands out from the surface, to a greater ( high ~ ) or lesser ( low ~ ) extent.
↘a representation of ~ given by an arrangement of line, colour, or shading.
Origin
ME: from OFr., from relever 'raise up, relieve', from L. relevare 'raise again, alleviate'; sense 6 via Fr. from Ital. rilievo , from rilevare 'raise'.