relieve

relieve
verb (relieved; relieving) Etymology: Middle English releven, from Anglo-French relever to raise, relieve, from Latin relevare, from re- + levare to raise — more at lever Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to free from a burden ; give aid or help to b. to set free from an obligation, condition, or restriction c. to ease of a burden, wrong, or oppression by judicial or legislative interposition 2. a. to bring about the removal or alleviation of ; mitigate <
helps relieve stress
>
b. rob, deprive <
relieved us of our belongings
>
3. a. to release from a post, station, or duty b. to take the place of <
will relieve the starting pitcher
>
4. to remove or lessen the monotony of <
a park relieves the urban landscape
>
5. a. to set off by contrast b. to raise in relief 6. to discharge the bladder or bowels of (oneself) intransitive verb 1. to bring or give relief 2. to stand out in relief 3. to serve as a relief pitcher • relievable adjective Synonyms: relieve, alleviate, lighten, assuage, mitigate, allay mean to make something less grievous. relieve implies a lifting of enough of a burden to make it tolerable <
took an aspirin to relieve the pain
>
. alleviate implies temporary or partial lessening of pain or distress <
the lotion alleviated the itching
>
. lighten implies reducing a burdensome or depressing weight <
good news would lighten our worries
>
. assuage implies softening or sweetening what is harsh or disagreeable <
ocean breezes assuaged the intense heat
>
. mitigate suggests a moderating or countering of the effect of something violent or painful <
the need to mitigate barbaric laws
>
. allay implies an effective calming or soothing of fears or alarms <
allayed their fears
>
.

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • relieve — sustantivo masculino 1. Parte que sobresale en una superficie plana: Hay que lijar bien los relieves de la puerta para que quede lisa. 2. Elevación de la parte que sobresale de una superficie plana: La figura tiene un centímetro de relieve. 3.… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • relieve — re‧lieve [rɪˈliːv] verb [transitive] to make a bad situation less severe: • Its Japanese parent company is expected to inject capital to relieve its crushing $3 billion debt. relieve somebody of something phrasal verb [transitive] 1. to help… …   Financial and business terms

  • Relieve — Re*lieve (r? l?v ), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Relieved} ( l?vd ); p. pr. & vb. n. {Relieving}.] [OE. releven, F. relever to raise again, discharge, relieve, fr. L. relevare to lift up, raise, make light, relieve; pref. re re + levare to raise, fr.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • relieve — 1. m. Labor o figura que resalta sobre el plano. 2. Conjunto de formas complejas que accidentan la superficie del globo terráqueo. 3. Importancia o renombre de alguien o algo. 4. Pint. Realce o bulto que aparentan algunas cosas pintadas. 5.… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • relieve — [ri lēv′] vt. relieved, relieving [ME releven < OFr relever < L relevare, to lift up again < re , again + levare, to raise: see LEVER] 1. a) to ease, lighten, or reduce (pain, anxiety, etc.) b) to free (a person) from pain, discomfort,… …   English World dictionary

  • relieve — relieve, alleviate, lighten, assuage, mitigate, allay are comparable when they mean to make something tolerable or less grievous. Though they are often used interchangeably, they are clearly distinguishable. Relieve implies a lifting of enough of …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Relieve — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda El término relieve puede referirse a: Relieve terrestre, para las formas que adopta la superficie de la corteza terrestre. Relieve (arte), para la técnica escultórica. Obtenido de Relieve Categoría:… …   Wikipedia Español

  • relieve — re·lieve vt re·lieved, re·liev·ing: to set free from a duty, burden, or liability cannot be relieved of his negligence the trust cannot relieve the trustees of those very basic duties that the law imposes Hosey v. Burgess, 890 S.W.2d 262 (1995)… …   Law dictionary

  • relieve — 1. alto relieve. → altorrelieve. 2. bajo relieve. → bajorrelieve …   Diccionario panhispánico de dudas

  • relieve — [v1] make less painful; let up on abate, allay, alleviate, appease, assuage, break, brighten, calm, comfort, console, cure, decrease, diminish, divert, dull, ease, free, interrupt, lighten, mitigate, moderate, mollify, palliate, qualify, quiet,… …   New thesaurus

  • relieve — ► VERB 1) alleviate or remove (pain, distress, or difficulty). 2) (usu. be relieved) cause (someone) to stop feeling distressed or anxious. 3) release (someone) from duty by taking their place. 4) (relieve of) take (a burden or responsibility)… …   English terms dictionary

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