I. ri-ˈlēf noun
Etymology: Middle English relef, relief, from Anglo-French from relever to relieve
Date: 14th century
1. : a payment made by a male feudal tenant to his lord on succeeding to an inherited estate
2.
a. : removal or lightening of something oppressive, painful, or distressing
b. : welfare 2a
c. : military assistance to an endangered post or force
d. : means of breaking or avoiding monotony or boredom : diversion
3. : release from a post or from the performance of duty
4. : one that takes the place of another on duty
5. : legal remedy or redress
6.
[French, from Middle French, from Italian rilievo relievo]
a. : a mode of sculpture in which forms and figures are distinguished from a surrounding plane surface
b. : sculpture or a sculptural form executed in this mode
c. : projecting detail, ornament, or figures
7.
a. : sharpness of outline due to contrast
a roof in bold relief against the sky
b. : the state of being distinguished by contrast
throws the two opinions into bold relief
8. : the elevations or inequalities of a land surface
9. : the pitching done by a relief pitcher
two innings of hitless relief
[
relief 6b
]
II. adjective
Date: 1838
1. : providing relief
2. : characterized by surface inequalities
3. : of or used in letterpress