I. ˈrest noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ræst, rest rest, bed; akin to Old High German rasta rest, a measure of distance between two resting places, Old Norse röst a measure of distance, mile, Gothic rasta mile, Old English rōw rest, calm, Old High German ruowa, Old Norse rō, Greek erōē rest, respite, and perhaps to Old English ærn, ren house, Old Frisian -ern, Old Norse rann, Gothic razn
1. : refreshment or repose of body or mind due to more or less complete cessation of activity especially to sleep
eight hours of rest a night
for this I had deprived myself of rest and health — Mary W. Shelley
2.
a.
(1) : cessation or temporary interruption of motion, exertion, or labor : freedom from activity or labor
rest from hard physical effort
a ten-minute rest period
for the purpose of drawing a line between such bodily motions and rests — O.W.Holmes †1935
(2) : a bodily state (as that attained by a fasting individual lying supine) characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities
the patient must have complete rest
(3) : a position on any gymnastic apparatus in which the body is supported wholly or mainly by the hands or arms, the elbows are above the point of support, and the center of gravity is below the shoulders
b. : absence or cessation of motion as a physical phenomenon : continuance in the same place
a body will continue in a state of rest unless acted upon
c. : the repose of death
went to his final rest
3. : a place where one may rest or abide: as
a. : a permanent or transitory lodging place
found their rest in the shelter of a wayside tree
whether that luxurious roadside rest is a hotel or motel — Frances W. Browin
b. : a halting place or breathing spot (as a landing between flights of a stair)
a steep trail with little rests chipped out of the rock
c. : an establishment for the accommodation of a particular group or class (as when out of work or off duty)
a sailors' rest
4. : freedom from anything that fatigues, disturbs, or troubles : peace of mind or spirit
there was rest now, not disquietude, in the knowledge — Ellen Glasgow
5.
a.
(1) : a rhythmic silence in music or in one of its parts
(2) : a character that stands for such silence
half rest
quarter rest
b. : a brief pause in reading : caesura
6. : something on which anything rests or leans or may rest or lean for support
chin rest for a violin or viola
a rail serving as a rest for the feet
as
a. : a support for a gun when firing
b. : a part in a lathe or similar machine that supports the cutting tool or steadies the work
c. Britain : bridge 3e
d. : the part of a partial denture that rests on an abutment tooth, distributes stresses, and holds the clasp in position
e. : a sand-filled pillow or similar firm but moldable cushion used to raise or support a portion of the body during surgery
kidney rest
7. : renewed vigor
Synonyms:
rest , relaxation , leisure , repose , ease , comfort : of these closely related terms the first three — rest , relaxation , and leisure — stress the condition of being free from labor or from the tension or necessity of effort; the second three — repose , ease , and comfort — stress more the frame of mind or condition of body incident to such a condition. rest , the most general of the terms, emphasizes primarily the fact of cessation or intermission of activity, especially fatiguing activity or effortful movement, although it also usually indicates the consequent relief, refreshment, or reinvigoration
night came and with it but little rest — Thomas Hardy
to enjoy a rest from struggling — Leslie Rees
relaxation emphasizes the release of the muscular or spiritual tension necessary to work or worry; it may be identical with rest or achieved in it so that in some uses it has come to be synonymous with recreation
throughout the hours of busiest work and closest application, as well as in the preceding and following moments of leisure and occasional intervals of relaxation — W.C.Brownell
the active amusements and relaxations of life can only rest certain of our faculties — John Galsworthy
leisure is rather the time exempt from labor as well as the freedom from the necessity of effort; it usu., but not necessarily, implies rest or relaxation, and frequently indicates the unhurriedness of life incident to such a sense of freedom
he who knows how to employ rationally any amount of leisure that may fall to his lot — Norman Douglas
the absence of worry and anxiety about oneself … has always been assumed to be a prerequisite condition of leisure — R.A.Beals & Leon Brody
the capacity for civilized enjoyment, for leisure and laughter — Bertrand Russell
repose usually indicates a rest distinguished by physical or mental tranquillity, a freedom from any agitation or disturbance as in peaceful sleep, and has therefore developed to indicate such tranquillity or freedom itself or the appearance of it
a certain woodenness when her face was in repose — Scott Fitzgerald
the pleasant repose of the upper valley villages — American Guide Series: Vermont
a langorous repose in keeping with the season — Elinor Wylie
ease indicates a physical or mental condition from which tension, anxiety, effort, or pain have been removed; it may carry a range of meanings from a pleasant release from pain to a rather luxurious absence of all physical or mental effort; by extension from this it has come to signify a relaxed effortlessness in movement, conduct, or accomplishment
a mild sedative brought a certain ease
to live in ease and comfort
the ease which he displayed in the conduct of practical affairs — Arnold Bennett
ease and strength, effort and weakness, go together — G.B.Shaw
comfort indicates essentially the physical or mental state induced by relief from what disturbs or troubles, but more widely indicates a state not only in which all things that disturb or pain are absent but in which usually there is a positive physical if passive pleasure. comfort stresses more than ease does the physical pleasurableness of the state and in usually implying an outside agency which induces the state it has come to signify the thing or things that bring such relief or pleasure
every word brought comfort rather than grief — Virginia D. Dawson & Betty D. Wilson
it was a great comfort to me to get back home alive
if it went on long there would be no comfort in the home for anybody — Stuart Cloete
he is a layman which will be a comfort to those of his readers who have not had a scientific training — London Calling
•
- at rest
[s]rest.jpg[/s] [
rest 5a(2): 1 whole, 2 half, 3 quarter, 4 eighth, 5 sixteenth
]
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English resten, from Old English ræstan, restan; akin to Old English ræst rest
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to take or get repose by lying down ; especially : to get refreshment of body by sleep
b. : to be in the repose of death : be dead or in the grave
c. : sleep , slumber
2. : to cease from action or motion : desist from labor or exertion
planned to rest during her vacation
3. : to be free from whatever wearies or disturbs : be quiet or still : remain the same or in the same place
4. : to have place : sit or lie fixed or supported : settle
a column rests on its pedestal
one wing of the army rested on the hills
5.
a. : to remain confident : put trust
b. : to lean in confidence : repose without anxiety : trust , rely
rest secure on his word
c. : to become based or founded : have a use as a foundation — usually used with on or upon
the verdict rested on several sound precedents
a charge resting upon one man's unsupported statement
6.
a. obsolete : to become vested
b. obsolete : consist
c. : to remain or lie for action or accomplishment
the maintenance of peace rests with him alone
7. of farmland : to remain idle or uncropped
8. : to bring to an end voluntarily the introduction of evidence in a law case and thereby lose the right to introduce fresh evidence except in rebuttal
transitive verb
1.
a. : to give rest or repose to : refresh by repose : lay or place at rest : allow to remain inactive, quiet, or undisturbed
rested his horse before starting up the grade
you should rest your eyes from so much reading
b. : to permit (as soldiers in ranks) to move, talk, and smoke while keeping one foot in place
rested his men between the drill exercises
2. : to set (as oneself) at rest
rest yourself before the fire
— often used formerly in greetings
God rest you merry, Sir — Shakespeare
3. : to place or lay on a support : support on or with something
rest the book against the lamp
rested his gouty foot on a cushion
4.
a. : to cause to be firmly fixed : ground
was resting all his hopes on his son
rested her case on this argument
b. : to desist voluntarily from presenting evidence pertinent to (a case at law)
5. : to allow (land) to remain idle
Synonyms: see base
•
- rest with
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, short for arest — more at arrest
1. obsolete : a checking or halting by or as if by arrest ; specifically : legal arrest
2. : a projection from or attachment on the side of the breastplate of medieval armor intended to support the butt of the lance
3. : clarion 5
IV. transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English resten, short for aresten — more at arrest
chiefly dialect : arrest
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French reste, from rester to remain, rest
1. : something that remains over: as
a. rests plural : remains, relics
b.
(1) obsolete : an amount still unpaid : a balance due
(2) Britain : a reserve (as of a bank) consisting of profits remaining undivided after payment of dividends : surplus
c. : the part remaining after removal of a part in fact or contemplation : all that is left : remainder , residue — used with the
if you will take the baby we can care for the rest
used the rest of the butter at breakfast
d. : a mass of surviving embryonic cells or of cells misplaced in development
some neoplasms probably always arise from embryonic rests
adrenal rests in the kidney
2. : a series of repeated returns (as in a game of tennis) : a spell of uninterrupted returning — compare rally
VI. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English resten, from Middle French rester to remain, be left over, from Latin restare to stand back, stop behind, be left over, from re- + stare to stand — more at stand
1. obsolete : to remain unpaid
2. : to be left over : remain after something is taken away : continue to exist
VII. abbreviation
restored