# relieve

Pronunciation: US say "ri-LEEV" /ɹɪˈliːv/; UK

## Verb

1. To ease a person or a part of the body from physical pain or discomfort.
   - Simple: To make pain or discomfort in someone's body feel better.
   - _The new mattress relieved his aching back within a week._
   - _Gentle massage can relieve stiff shoulders after a hard day._
2. To lessen or alleviate pain, distress, or other mental discomfort.
   - Simple: To make a bad feeling, like pain or worry, less strong.
   - _Counseling helped her relieve the grief she had carried for years._
   - _The new treatment relieved her chronic anxiety._
3. To ease a person's mind out of distress, so they no longer feel anxious or worried.
   - Simple: To help someone stop feeling worried or upset.
   - _The doctor's reassurance relieved the anxious patient._
   - _A quick text can relieve parents who are waiting up late._
4. To release someone from a difficulty, an unwanted task, or a responsibility.
   - Simple: To free someone from a hard job or duty they don't want.
   - _The manager relieved her of the project so she could focus elsewhere._
   - _Hiring an assistant can relieve him of most of the paperwork._
5. To free someone from a post or duty by taking over their place.
   - Simple: To take over someone's post or job so they can stop or rest.
   - _The sergeant relieved the sentries at the end of their watch._
   - _Another pilot will relieve her halfway through the long flight._
6. To ease the hardship of someone in need, especially the poor, by giving comfort or aid.
   - Simple: To give help or comfort to people who are poor or in need.
   - _Donations help relieve the poorest households during winter._
   - _The new shelter relieved many homeless people last winter._
7. To bring military help to a besieged town, lifting the siege that surrounds it.
   - Simple: To send soldiers to help a town that enemies have surrounded.
   - _An allied army marched north to relieve the starving garrison._
   - _Their fleet relieved the harbor town just before supplies ran out._
8. In law, to grant someone release from a debt or legal duty.
   - Simple: To free someone from a debt or a legal duty by law.
   - _The judge moved to relieve the defendant of liability for the accident._
   - _Bankruptcy proceedings relieved him of most of his outstanding debts._
9. A polite, indirect way of saying to urinate or defecate, used reflexively as to relieve oneself.
   - Simple: A polite way of saying to use the toilet.
   - _The hikers stopped to relieve themselves before the final climb._
   - _After the long flight, she hurried to relieve herself._
10. A polite way of saying to ease one's own sexual desire, often by masturbating to orgasm.
   - Simple: A polite way of saying to satisfy one's own sexual urge, usually alone.
   - _Some counselors tell celibate clients it is fine to relieve themselves when desire becomes distracting, rather than look for a partner._
   - _Aroused and alone, he relieved himself before drifting off to sleep._

## Verb

11. To bring someone out of danger or free them from a particular hardship. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To save someone from danger or a very hard situation.
   - _They prayed that providence would relieve the sailors from the storm's fury._
   - _The hero relieved the captives from their cruel bondage._
12. To make something stand out or appear prominent; to bring it into relief. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To make something stand out so it is easy to see.
   - _Careful shading can relieve the foreground against the darker sky._
   - _Gold leaf relieved the lettering on the carved panel._
13. To lift something up; to raise it once more. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To lift something up, or to raise it again.

## Origin

From Late Middle English 'releven', borrowed from Old French 'relever', which came from Latin 'relevo' ('to lift up, lighten, relieve, alleviate'), a combination of 're-' ('back') and 'levo' ('to lift').

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