n.
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English reles, from Anglo-French, from relesser
Date: 14th century
1 : relief or deliverance from sorrow, suffering, or trouble
2 a : discharge from obligation or responsibility b (1) : relinquishment of a right or claim (2) : an act by which a legal right is discharged specifically : a conveyance of a right in lands or tenements to another having an estate in possession
3 a : the act or an instance of liberating or freeing (as from restraint) b : the act or manner of concluding a musical tone or phrase c : the act or manner of ending a sound : the movement of one or more vocal organs in quitting the position for a speech sound d : the action or manner of throwing a ball <has a quick release >
4 : an instrument effecting a legal release
5 : the state of being freed
6 : a device adapted to hold or release a mechanism as required
7 a : the act of permitting performance or publication also : PERFORMANCE , PUBLICATION <became a best seller on its release > b : the matter released especially : a statement prepared for the press