# relief

Pronunciation: say "ri-LEEF" /ɹɪˈliːf/

## Noun

1. The removal or easing of stress, pain, or discomfort.
   - Simple: The act of taking away or easing pain, stress, or trouble.
   - _The cream provides temporary relief from itching and swelling._
   - _Stretching brings noticeable relief to a stiff back._
2. The pleasant feeling that comes when stress, pain, or worry is removed.
   - Simple: The good feeling you get when pain, stress, or worry is taken away.
   - _Relief flooded through the crowd when the missing child was found safe._
   - _She sighed with relief once the plane finally landed._
3. Aid or assistance given to people during a time of need, such as after a disaster.
   - Simple: Help such as food, money, or shelter given to people in need.
   - _International relief poured into the region after the earthquake._
   - _The charity coordinates relief for refugees crossing the border._
4. A remedy or assistance sought from or granted by a court, such as damages, an injunction, or a declaration of rights.
   - Simple: Help, money, or protection that a court orders to fix a wrong.
   - _The plaintiff sought relief in the form of damages and an injunction._
   - _The court denied relief, finding no legal basis for the claim._
5. A form of sculpture in which shapes or figures stand out from a flat background, or a work made this way.
   - Simple: A way of making sculptures with shapes standing out from a flat background, or a sculpture made this way.
   - _A carved relief above the doorway showed a hunting scene._
   - _Ancient craftsmen filled the tomb walls with painted reliefs._
6. A person who takes over a shift or duty so that another can be released.
   - Simple: A person who takes over a job or shift so another person can rest.
   - _Her relief showed up ten minutes late for the morning shift._
   - _The watchman handed the keys to his relief and went home._
7. The differences in height across a surface, such as the hills and valleys of a landscape.
   - Simple: The way a piece of land rises and falls, with hills and valleys.
   - _Cartographers shade the map to reveal the relief of the valley._
   - _The plateau shows little relief, stretching flat for miles._
8. A reduction in the amount of tax owed, granted through special legal provisions.
   - Simple: A cut in the amount of tax someone must pay, allowed by special rules.
   - _Pension contributions qualify for relief that lowers a worker's taxable income._
   - _Lawmakers introduced tax relief for small businesses hit hardest by the downturn._
9. The act of freeing someone from a shift, watch, or duty, usually by having another person take over their place.
   - Simple: Being freed from a shift, watch, or duty, often because someone else takes over.
   - _The soldiers at the front longed for relief after weeks in the trenches._
   - _After his injury, the captain asked for relief from command, and a younger officer took over the ship._
10. Military assistance sent to break a siege or free forces surrounded by an enemy.
   - Simple: Military help sent to free a town or army that is surrounded by enemies.
   - _The garrison resisted for weeks until relief reached the walls at dawn._
   - _The relief of the besieged city took three months of hard fighting._
11. Distinctness or prominence that something gains through contrast with its surroundings.
   - Simple: The way something stands out clearly because it is so different from the things around it.
   - _The lit facade stood in stark relief against the night sky._
   - _The debate threw the candidates' differences into sharp relief._
13. The appearance of depth or of shapes standing out from a flat surface, created by shading, light, or color.
   - Simple: The look of depth or raised shapes in a flat picture, made with shading, light, or color.
   - _Caravaggio's strong contrasts of light and dark give his figures a striking relief, as if they could step out of the canvas._
   - _The portrait gained its relief from subtle gradations of color._

## Adjective

12. Describing something made with a raised and sunken surface instead of a flat one.
   - Simple: Having a surface that is not flat, with raised and lower parts.
   - _The museum displayed a relief model of the mountain range._
   - _The old wallpaper has a relief pattern of leaves that you can feel with your fingertips._
14. Referring to printing from a raised, inked surface, as in letterpress.
   - Simple: Having to do with printing from a raised surface that is inked and pressed onto paper.
   - _Woodcut is a traditional relief process used for centuries._
   - _The studio specializes in relief techniques such as linocut and letterpress._

## Other meanings

- (noun) In golf, permission to move the ball to a more convenient spot before a shot under certain circumstances.
- (noun) A fine or payment made by the heir of a tenant to the lord upon the death of the ancestor.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4, 6, 8–10** — Latin relevare ("to raise up, make light") gave Old French relever ("to relieve"), and from that verb came Old French relief ("assistance"), the source of the English word.
**Meanings 5, 7, 11–14** — Latin relevō ("to raise") became Italian rilevare ("to raise"), and the noun rilievo, made from that verb, is where English got the word.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/relief (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).