I. rə̇ˈlēf, rēˈ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English relefe, releve, relief, from Middle French relief, from Old French, from relever to raise again, relieve — more at relieve
1.
a. : a fine or money composition (as a year's rent or a fixed sum) formerly paid by the heir of a deceased tenant to his lord for the privilege of taking up the landed estate which on strict feudal principles had escheated — distinguished from heriot
b. : an acknowledgment made by the heir of his vassal tenure of a lord as a condition of being received or had as a vassal
2. : removal or lightening of something oppressive, burdensome, painful, dangerous, or distressing
expressing his secret fears gave him great relief
it was a relief to take off his tight shoes
a. : aid in the form of money or necessities for the indigent, aged, or handicapped
public relief
work relief
disaster relief
b. obsolete : feeding , sustenance
c. : military assistance in or rescue from a position of extreme difficulty or encirclement
sent to the relief of a besieged city
d. : diversion or amusement serving to ease or relax the mind
have no relief but in passing their afternoons in visits … and their evenings at cards — Jonathan Swift
e. : means of breaking or avoiding monotony, tedium, or prolonged straining of attention
the appearance on the horizon of even the swagman's silhouette may be a welcome relief — William Power
3. : release from a post or from the performance of duty by the intervention of others, by discharge, or by relay
relief of a sentry
the relief of the commanding general was to be expected
4.
a. : one that relieves from performance of duty by taking the place of another
explained their duties and equipment to their reliefs — G.J.Dufek
: relay , replacement
send up a relief to consolidate the position — Bill Mauldin
b. : scrub 3b(2)
5.
a. : a legal remedy or redress
b. Scots law : release from an obligation or contribution from a joint obligor for his proportionate share of liability
6.
[French; translation of Italian rilievo, from rilevare to raise, from Latin relevare — more at relieve ]
a. : a mode of sculpture in which forms and figures are distinguished (as by modeling of soft material, hammering of thin maleable material, or cutting away the surface in a hard material) from a surrounding plane surface — compare intaglio , in the round at round ; see bas-relief , flat relief , mezzo-relievo , sunk relief
b. : sculpture or a sculptural form executed in this mode
a stone relief above the arch
c. : projecting detail, ornament, or figures in sculpture
the sharp edges of the relief cannot stand the test of time
7.
a. : the suggestion in pictorial art of spatial dimensions and relations communicated by the arrangement of lines, colors, or shadings
b. : vividness or sharpness of outline due to contrast (as of color or shading)
a roof in bold relief against the sky
8. : the difference of level between the highest part of a fortification works and the bottom of the ditch or trench
9. : the elevations or inequalities of a land surface : the difference in elevation between the hilltops or summits and the lowlands of a region
10. : the character of the surface of a mineral section as observed under the microscope
11.
a. : a passage in a tailstock center for the facing or parting tool made by cutting away one side of the center so that the tool may be advanced to or almost to the center of the work
b. : a slight modification in the dimension of a part of a machine to secure clearance
c. : the lessening of excessive pressure (as of a tool, a moving part, a confined gas)
d. : clearance 2e
[s]relief.jpg[/s] [
relief 6b
]
II. adjective
1. : providing relief from distress, pressure, strain, congestion
relief measures during a famine
relief highway
2. : characterized by surface inequalities
3. : of or used in letterpress
relief form
relief plate
relief engraving
III. adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: from the Relief Church, founded in 1761 in Scotland by Thomas Gillespie died 1774 Scottish clergyman and his followers
: of or relating to the Relief Church that was founded to provide relief from the evils of patronage and that joined in 1847 with the United Secession to form the United Presbyterian Church (of Scotland)