I. rə̇ˈlēs, rēˈ- transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English relesen, relessen, from Old French relessier, relaissier, from Latin relaxare to loosen, relax — more at relax
1. obsolete : to loosen or remove the force or effect of : alleviate
2. : to set free from restraint, confinement, or servitude : set at liberty : let go
release a bent bow
ordered all prisoners released
release a caged bird
treated as an inferior himself and he has to release his frustrations somewhere — Darrell Berrigan
3. : to relieve from something that confines, burdens, or oppresses
waiting for death to release him from his agony
asked her to release him from his promise
4. : to give up (a claim, title, right) in favor of another : surrender , relinquish , resign , quit
release a claim to property
release all claims or demands regarding personal injury
release a reserved seat in a plane flight
5. : to give permission for the publication, performance, exhibition, or sale of (as a film, news article, phonograph record) on but not before a specified date
6.
a. obsolete : to grant remission of (a debt, tax)
b. : mitigate
Synonyms: see free
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English reles, from Middle French reles, relais, from Old French, from relessier, relaissier
1.
a. : relief or deliverance from sorrow, suffering, or trouble
unconsciousness brought a merciful release from his pain
b. : salvation or spiritual liberation from all earthly bondage and temporal contingencies : moksha
2.
a. : discharge from obligation or responsibility (as a debt, penalty, or claim) : a giving up (as of a right or claim) : relinquishment
b. : an act or instrument by which a legal right is discharged : quitclaim ; specifically : a conveyance of a man's right in lands or tenements to another having an estate in possession — compare acquittance
3.
a. : the act of liberating or freeing : discharge from restraint
awaiting release from jail
sudden release of free oxygen caused the explosion
release of homing pigeons
release of gas from a balloon
b. : the mode of holding and loosing an arrow in shooting with a bow — compare mediterranean release , mongolian release , primary release
c. : the act or manner of concluding a musical tone or phrase — compare attack
d. : the act or manner of ending a sound : the movement of one or more vocal organs in quitting the position for a speech sound
e. : a relaxation of the muscles after contraction in dancing
4. : an instrument formally discharging from restraint or custody
5.
a. : the act of permitting a working fluid (as steam) to escape from the cylinder at the end of the working stroke
b. : the point in the cycle of operations or on the corresponding indicator diagram at which this act occurs
c. : the period during exhaust from the point of escape to where the pressure of the exhausting fluid is sensibly that of the condenser or of the outside air
6.
a. : the state of being liberated or freed
the long summer release from school
b. : a freeing (as of a young forest tree) from the competing effects of taller overshadowing vegetation
a statistical analysis of the value of release cuttings
the time of release is apparent in cross section because of the sudden increase in growth increment — E. Lucy Braun
7. : a device adapted to hold and later release a mechanism as required: as
a. : a catch on a motor-starting rheostat that automatically releases the rheostat arm and so stops the motor in case of a break in the field circuit
b. : the catch on an electromagnetic circuit breaker for a motor which acts in case of an overload
c. : a device for releasing the cocked shutter of a camera during picture taking
8.
a. : the act of permitting performance or publication
b. : the matter released ; especially : a statement prepared for the press by a public figure, a government agency, an organization
c. : a printed card conveying information and instructions to be used with a block-signaling system at intermediate sidings or at offices lacking telegraphic stations
9. : the usually contrasting middle portion of a popular song