relief definition

English relief definition

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈliːf/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːf

Etymology 1

From Old French relief (“assistance”), from Old French relever (“to relieve”), from Latin relevare (“to raise up, make light”). See also relieve.

Noun

relief (countable and uncountable, plural reliefs)

1. The removal of stress or discomfort.

   I sighed with relief when I found out that my daughter hadn't got lost, but was waiting for me at home.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, […] . It was with a palpable relief that he heard the first warning notes of the figure.

2. The feeling associated with the removal of stress or discomfort.
   • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 20, in The Dust of Conflict‎^[1]:

     Tony's face expressed relief, and Nettie sat silent for a moment until the vicar said “It was a generous impulse, but it may have been a momentary one, […] .”

   • 2020 April 8, Philip Haigh, “Out of the current crisis we could see meaningful changes”, in Rail, page 56:

     DfT's action was greeted with great relief in many quarters.

3. Release from a post or duty, as when replaced by another.
4. The person who takes over a shift for another.

   Officer Schmidt can finally go home because his relief has arrived.

   • 1963 February, “Motive Power Miscellany: London Midland Region”, in Modern Railways, page 136:

     At Leeds a relief crew was waiting—but without a relief locomotive; after some discussion, the new men offered to take on the A3. [...].

5. Aid or assistance offered in time of need.

   Relief arrived quickly after the disaster.

   • 1950 November, R. A. H. Weight, “A Railway Recorder in Southern England”, in Railway Magazine, page 772:

     On busy days, they also may be seen bowling along the Brighton main line, north of Keymer Junction, with a relief Newhaven boat express, […] .

6. (law) Court-ordered compensation, aid, or protection, a redress.
7. A lowering of a tax through special provisions; tax relief.
8. A certain fine or composition paid by the heir of a tenant upon the death of the ancestor.

Synonyms

• (removal of stress and discomfort): ease, alleviation, liss, respite
• (feeling of removal of stress and discomfort): ease, alleviation, liss
• (person who takes over a shift): stand-in, substitute, backup, fill-in

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Italian rilievo, from rilevare (“to raise”), from Latin relevō (“to raise”).

Noun

relief (countable and uncountable, plural reliefs)

1. A type of sculpture or other artwork in which shapes or figures protrude from a flat background.
2. The apparent difference in elevation in the surface of a painting or drawing made noticeable by a variation in light or color.
3. The difference of elevations on a surface.

   the relief on that part of the Earth's surface

   • 1947 January and February, “A Winter's Day on the Tyneside”, in Railway Magazine, page 29, photo caption:

     The approach to Newcastle (Central) Station from the north after a heavy snowfall. The complicated track layout is thrown into clear relief by the snow [referring to dark rails poking through the snow]

4. (heraldry) The supposed projection of a charge from the surface of a field, indicated by shading on the sinister and lower sides.

Synonyms

• (type of artwork): embossing
• (difference of elevations on a surface): texture, topography

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

relief (comparative more relief, superlative most relief)

1. (of a surface) Characterized by surface inequalities.
2. Of or used in letterpress.

Anagrams

• Leifer, e-filer, liefer, refile, relfie, relife

French relief definition

Etymology

Inherited from Old French, from relever.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁə.ljɛf/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

relief m (plural reliefs)

1. projection, relief
2. (geography, mineralogy) relief, surface elevation
3. (figuratively) contrast, definition, offset (against something else)

   mettre en relief ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

4. (sculpture) relief

Derived terms

• bas-relief

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: реле́ф (reléf)
• → Polish: relief
• → Romanian: relief
• → Russian: рельеф (relʹjef)
• → Swedish: relief
• → Turkish: rölyef

Further reading

• “relief”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Polish relief definition

Etymology

Borrowed from French relief, from Old French relief, from relever, from Latin relevare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈrɛl.jɛf/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛljɛf
• Syllabification: rel‧ief

Noun

relief m inan

1. (sculpture) relief

Declension

Further reading

• relief in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• relief in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian relief definition

Etymology

Borrowed from French relief.

Noun

relief n (plural reliefuri)

1. relief (difference of elevations on the Earth's surface)

Related terms

• reliefa
• reliefare
• reliefat

Swedish relief definition

Noun

relief c

1. a relief (type of artwork)

Declension

Declension of relief
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	relief	reliefen	reliefer	relieferna
Genitive	reliefs	reliefens	reliefers	reliefernas

Derived terms

• reliefkarta (“relief map”)

References

• relief in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• relief in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• relief in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)