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relief

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
re·lief  (r-lf)
n.
1. The easing of a burden or distress, such as pain, anxiety, or oppression.
2. Something that alleviates pain or distress.
3.
a. Public assistance.
b. Aid in time of danger, especially rescue from siege.
4.
a. Release from a post or duty, as that of sentinel.
b. One who releases another by taking over a post or duty.
5. A pleasant or amusing change; a diversion.
6.
a. The projection of figures or forms from a flat background, as in sculpture, or the apparent projection of such shapes in a painting or drawing.
b. A work of art featuring such projection. Also called relievo.
7. Geology The variations in elevation of an area of the earth's surface.
8. Distinction or prominence due to contrast: "The light brought the white church . . . into relief from the flat ledges" (Willa Cather).
9. Law Redress awarded by a court.
10. Baseball The pitching done by a relief pitcher: gave the team two innings of excellent relief.
11. A payment made by the heir of a deceased tenant to a feudal lord for the privilege of succeeding to the tenant's estate.
Idiom:
on relief
Receiving public assistance because of need or poverty.

[Middle English, from Old French, from relever, to relieve; see relieve. Senses 6, 7, and 8, French, from Italian rilievo; see bas-relief.]

relief [rɪˈliːf]
n
1. a feeling of cheerfulness or optimism that follows the removal of anxiety, pain, or distress
2. deliverance from or alleviation of anxiety, pain, distress, etc.
3. (Social Welfare)
a.  help or assistance, as to the poor, needy, or distressed
b.  (as modifier) relief work
4. short for tax relief
5. something that affords a diversion from monotony
6. a person who replaces or relieves another at some task or duty
7. a bus, shuttle plane, etc., that carries additional passengers when a scheduled service is full
8. (Social Science / Human Geography) a road (relief road) carrying traffic round an urban area; bypass
9. (Military)
a.  the act of freeing a beleaguered town, fortress, etc. the relief of Mafeking
b.  (as modifier) a relief column
10. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) Also called relievo rilievo Sculpture Architect
a.  the projection of forms or figures from a flat ground, so that they are partly or wholly free of it
b.  a piece of work of this kind
11. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) a printing process, such as engraving, letterpress, etc., that employs raised surfaces from which ink is transferred to the paper
12. any vivid effect resulting from contrast comic relief
13. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) variation in altitude in an area; difference between highest and lowest level a region of low relief
14. (Engineering / Mechanical Engineering) Mechanical engineering the removal of the surface material of a bearing area to allow the access of lubricating fluid
15. (Law) Law redress of a grievance or hardship to seek relief through the courts
16. (Historical Terms) European history a succession of payments made by an heir to a fief to his lord: the size of the relief was determined by the lord within bounds set by custom
(Social Welfare)
on relief US and Canadian (of people) in receipt of government aid because of personal need
[from Old French, from relever to raise up; see relieve]

Inequalities of evaluation and the configuration of land features on the surface of the Earth which may be represented on maps or charts by contours, hypsometric tints, shading, or spot elevations.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.reliefrelief - the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced; "as he heard the news he was suddenly flooded with relief"
comfort - a feeling of freedom from worry or disappointment
2.relief - the condition of being comfortable or relieved (especially after being relieved of distress); "he enjoyed his relief from responsibility"; "getting it off his conscience gave him some ease"
comfort, comfortableness - a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain; "he is a man who enjoys his comfort"; "she longed for the comfortableness of her armchair"
reprieve, respite - a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort
3.relief - (law) redress awarded by a court; "was the relief supposed to be protection from future harm or compensation for past injury?"
law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"
amends, damages, indemnification, redress, restitution, indemnity - a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury
4.relief - someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult); "the star had a stand-in for dangerous scenes"; "we need extra employees for summer fill-ins"
compeer, equal, peer, match - a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
locum, locum tenens - someone (physician or clergyman) who substitutes temporarily for another member of the same profession
stunt man, stunt woman, double - a stand-in for movie stars to perform dangerous stunts; "his first job in Hollywood was as a double for Clark Gable"
alternate, surrogate, replacement - someone who takes the place of another person
5.reliefrelief - assistance in time of difficulty; "the contributions provided some relief for the victims"
assist, assistance, help, aid - the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose; "he gave me an assist with the housework"; "could not walk without assistance"; "rescue party went to their aid"; "offered his help in unloading"
consolation, solace, comfort - the act of consoling; giving relief in affliction; "his presence was a consolation to her"
mercy - alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed; "distributing food and clothing to the flood victims was an act of mercy"
6.reliefrelief - a pause for relaxation; "people actually accomplish more when they take time for short rests"
pause, suspension, intermission, interruption, break - a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
7.relief - a change for the better
alteration, change, modification - an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another; "the change was intended to increase sales"; "this storm is certainly a change for the worse"; "the neighborhood had undergone few modifications since his last visit years ago"
disembarrassment - something that extricates you from embarrassment
breath of fresh air - a welcome relief; "the new management was like a breath of fresh air"
8.relief - aid for the aged or indigent or handicapped; "he has been on relief for many years"
public assistance, social welfare, welfare - governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need; "she lives on welfare"
9.relief - the act of reducing something unpleasant (as pain or annoyance); "he asked the nurse for relief from the constant pain"
reduction, step-down, diminution, decrease - the act of decreasing or reducing something
spasmolysis - the relaxation or relief of muscle spasms
detente - the easing of tensions or strained relations (especially between nations)
palliation - easing the severity of a pain or a disease without removing the cause
liberalisation, liberalization, relaxation - the act of making less strict
decompressing, decompression - relieving pressure (especially bringing a compressed person gradually back to atmospheric pressure)
10.reliefrelief - sculpture consisting of shapes carved on a surface so as to stand out from the surrounding background
alto relievo, alto rilievo, high relief - a sculptural relief in which forms extend out from the background to at least half their depth
bas relief, basso relievo, basso rilievo, low relief - a sculptural relief in which forms extend only slightly from the background; no figures are undercut
half-relief, mezzo-relievo, mezzo-rilievo - a sculptural relief between low relief and high relief
sculpture - a three-dimensional work of plastic art
11.relief - the act of freeing a city or town that has been besieged; "he asked for troops for the relief of Atlanta"
freeing, liberation, release - the act of liberating someone or something

relief
noun
2. rest, respite, let-up, relaxation, break, diversion, refreshment (informal), remission, breather (informal) a self-help programme which can give lasting relief
4. replacement, cover, supply, reserve, substitute, stand-in, standby, locum No relief drivers were available.
Quotations
"For this relief much thanks" [William Shakespeare Hamlet]
Translations
relief [rɪˈliːf]
A. N
1. (from pain, anxiety) → alivio m
that's a relief!¡qué alivio!
the news came as a great relief to her parentsla noticia fue un gran alivio para sus padres
there was a sense of relief that the war was finally overtodos sintieron un gran alivio cuando se supo que la guerra había terminado por fin
the relief of nasal congestionel alivio de la congestión nasal
to bring or give or provide relief from sthaliviar algo
drugs provide relief from the painlas drogas alivian el dolor
to heave or breathe a sigh of reliefdar un suspiro de alivio
to our (great) relief, she acceptedpara(gran)alivio nuestro, aceptó
she almost wept with or in reliefcasi lloró del alivio que sintió
2. (from monotony) it's a relief to get out of the office once in a whilees un respiro salir de la oficina de vez en cuando
by way of light reliefa modo de diversión
see also comic
3. (= aid) → auxilio m, ayuda f
disaster relief auxilio a las víctimas de una catástrofe
relief efforts have been hampered by the rainsla lluvia ha dificultado las operaciones de auxilio
see also famine
4. (= state welfare) to be on or get relief (US) → recibir prestaciones de la seguridad social
poor relief (Brit) (Hist) → socorro m, beneficencia f
5. (Mil) [of town] → liberación f
6. (Art, Geog) → relieve m
in reliefen relieve
in high/low reliefen alto/bajo relieve
to stand out in (bold or sharp or stark) relief against sth (lit, fig) → contrastar dramáticamente con algo
to throw or bring sth into (sharp) relief (fig) → poner algo de relieve, hacer resaltar algo
see also bas-relief
7. (= replacement) → relevo m, sustituto m
8. (= exemption) (from taxation) → desgravación f
see also debt
9. (Jur) → desagravio m
B. CPD [train, bus] → de reemplazo; [typist, secretary] → suplente; [work, worker, agency, organization, convoy] → de ayuda, de auxilio
relief driver Nconductor(a) m/f de relevo
relief fund Nfondo m de auxilio(a los damnificados)
relief map Nmapa m físico or de relieve; (3-D) → mapa m en relieve
relief road Ncarretera f de descongestión
relief supplies NPLprovisiones fpl de auxilio
relief troops NPLtropas fpl de relevo

relief [rɪˈliːf]
n
(from worry, uncertainty, distress)soulagement m
That's a relief! → Quel soulagement!
It's a great relief to be back → C'est un grand soulagement que d'être de retour.
to sb's relief
To my relief, he said yes → À mon soulagement, il a dit oui.
to breathe a sigh of relief → pousser un soupir de soulagement
(from pain, suffering)soulagement m
relief from sth → soulagement de qch
lasting relief from the symptoms of hay fever → un soulagement durable des symptômes du rhume des foins pain relief
light relief → diversion f
by way of light relief → pour faire diversion
(= help, supplies) → secours mpl
emergency relief → secours d'urgence
humanitarian relief → secours humanitaires
famine relief → aide aux victimes de la famine
disaster relief → aide aux victimes de catastrophes
(MILITARY) [guard] → relève f
(= raised pattern) in relief → en relief
(GEOGRAPHY)relief m relief map
modif [convoy, truck, plane] → humanitaire; [effort, operation] → humanitaire relief agency, relief fund, relief organization, relief work, relief worker
relief agency norganisation f humanitaire
relief fund ncaisse f de secours
relief map ncarte f en relief
relief organization norganisation f humanitaire
relief road n (British)route f de délestage
relief work ntravail m humanitaire
relief worker ntravailleur/euse m/f humanitaire

relief
n
(from anxiety, pain) → Erleichterung f; to bring somebody relief (drug) → jdm Erleichterung verschaffen; (news) → jdn erleichtern; that brought him some relief from his headachedas hat seine Kopfschmerzen etwas gelindert; that’s a relief!mir fällt ein Stein vom Herzen; it was a relief to find itich/er etc war erleichtert, als ich/er etc es fand; it was a relief to get out of the officees war eine Wohltat, aus dem Büro wegzukommen
(from monotony, boredom) → Abwechslung f; to provide a little light/comic relieffür eine kleine Abwechslung/für etwas Humor sorgen
(= assistance)Hilfe f; to come to somebody’s reliefjdm zu Hilfe kommen; relief was available in the form of blankets and cups of teafür Decken und heißen Tee war gesorgt; to send relief in the form of food to somebodyjdm mit Nahrungsmitteln zu Hilfe kommen; relief of the poorArmenfürsorge f; to provide relief for the poorfür die Armen sorgen; to be on relief (US) → Fürsorge bekommen, von der Fürsorge leben
(esp Mil: = act of relieving, replacement forces) → Entsatz m; (= substitute)Ablösung f
(Art, Geog) → Relief nt; (Typ) → Relief nt, → Hochdruck m; high/low reliefHoch-/Flachrelief nt; in relieferhaben; to stand out in relief (lit)sich (deutlich) abheben; (fig)gegensätzlich sein; to throw something into relief (lit)etw (deutlich) hervortreten lassen; (fig)etw hervorheben
(Jur) → Rechtshilfe f(of bei)
attr
(= aid)Hilfs-; the relief effortdie Hilfsaktion; (in disaster) → die Rettungsaktion
(= replacement) watchman, driverzur Entlastung; relief bus/trainEntlastungsbus/-zug m
(Typ etc) → Relief-; relief printingReliefdruck m

relief:
relief agency
nRettungsorganisation f
relief fund
nHilfsfonds m
relief map
nReliefkarte f
relief road
nEntlastungsstraße f
relief supplies
plHilfsgüter pl
relief troops
plEntsatztruppen pl
relief valve
nAusgleichsventil nt
relief workers
plRettungshelfer pl; (in disaster) → Katastrophenhelfer pl

relief [rɪˈliːf]
1. n
a. (from pain, anxiety) relief (from)sollievo (a)
by way of light relief → come diversivo
that's a relief! → che sollievo!
b. (Mil) (of besieged town) → liberazione f; (help, supplies) → soccorsi mpl
c. (also tax relief) → sgravio fiscale
d. (Art, Geog) → rilievo
to throw sth into relief (fig) → mettere qc in evidenza or in risalto
e. (of guard) → cambio
2. adj (bus) → supplementare; (driver) → che da il cambio a un collega; (work, organization, troops) → di soccorso

relief [rɪˈliːf]
1. n
a. (from pain, anxiety) relief (from)sollievo (a)
by way of light relief → come diversivo
that's a relief! → che sollievo!
b. (Mil) (of besieged town) → liberazione f; (help, supplies) → soccorsi mpl
c. (also tax relief) → sgravio fiscale
d. (Art, Geog) → rilievo
to throw sth into relief (fig) → mettere qc in evidenza or in risalto
e. (of guard) → cambio
2. adj (bus) → supplementare; (driver) → che da il cambio a un collega; (work, organization, troops) → di soccorso

relief
n relief [rəˈliːf]
1 a lessening or stopping of pain, worry, boredom etc When one has a headache, an aspirin brings relief; He gave a sigh of relief; It was a great relief to find nothing had been stolen. verligting إسْعاف، راحَه облекчение úleva lettelse die Erleichterung ανακούφιση alivio kergendus تسکین helpotus soulagement הַקָלָה राहत ublaženje, olakšica megkönnyebbülés kelegaan léttir, linun sollievo 軽減 (고통, 고민 등의) 완화, 경감 palengvėjimas atvieglojums lega verlichting,opluchting lindring; lettelse; befrielse ulga alívio uşurare; calmare облегчение úľava olajšanje olakšanje lindring, lättnad การผ่อนคลาย ferahlık, rahatlama (痛苦、擔憂、無聊感)減輕、消除 полегшення, заспокоєння اطمینان sự giảm nhẹ; sự khuây khỏa
2 help (eg food) given to people in need of it famine relief; (also adjective ) A relief fund has been set up to send supplies to the refugees. hulp إغاثَه، نَجْدَه помощ pomoc, pomocný nødhjælp; nødhjælps- die Hilfe; Hilfs-... βοήθημα, αρωγή auxilio, socorro abi کمک؛ امداد hätäapu (de) secours סַעַד, סִיוּע सहायता potpora, pomoć segély(ezés) bantuan neyðar-/fjárhagshjálp aiuto, soccorso 救援 (빈민, 난민 등에 대한) 구제 pagalba, šalpa palīdzība; pabalsts pertolongan hulp nødhjelp pomoc socorro (de) ajutor; asistenţă помощь pomoc; pomocný, na pomoc pomoč pomoć understöd, bistånd บรรเทาความเดือดร้อน yardım, bağış 救濟 допомога امداد cứu trợ
3 a person who takes over some job or task from another person, usually after a given period of time The bus-driver was waiting for his relief; (also adjective ) a relief driver. plaasvervanger بَدَل смяна směna, střídání afløsning; afløsnings- die Ablösung; Ablösungs-... αντικαταστάτης (π.χ. με αλλαγή βάρδιας) relevo vahetus, asendus- جانشین vaihto (de) relève מַחֲלִיף दूसरी को कार्यमुक्त करने वाला व्यक्ति pomoćnik váltás pengganti afleysingamaður sostituto 交替 교체자 pamainininkas maiņa; pārinieks pelepasan aflossing avløsning, avlastning zmiennik substituto (de) schimb сменщик smena, striedanie zamenjava zamena avlösare, avbytare ผู้ที่มาผลัดเปลี่ยนเวรแทน nöbeti devralacak kimse 換班的人,換班的 зміна وہ شخص جسے ایک معینہ مدت کے بعد دوسرے کا کام تفویض کی جاتا ہے thay phiên
4 the act of freeing a town etc from siege the relief of Mafeking. bevryding تَحْرير освобождаване osvobození befrielse die Befreiung λύση πολιορκίας liberación vabastamine امداد؛ آزاد سازی vapautus relève הָסַרַת מָצוֹר मुक्ति oslobođenje od opsade felszabadítás pembebasan frelsun liberazione 解放 (포위로부터의) 구출 išvadavimas iš apsiausties atbrīvošana; aplenkuma pārraušana membebaskan ontzet befrielse odsiecz, odbicie libertação eliberare снятие осады oslobodenie osvoboditev oslobađanje befriande การโอบล้อม kurtarma 解救 зняття облоги محاصرے سے آزادی sự giải vây
5 a way of carving etc in which the design is raised above the level of its background a carving in relief. reliëf نَقْش نافِر релеф reliéf reliefarbejde das Relief ανάγλυφο relieve reljeef حجاری برجسته kohokuva relief תַבלִיט उकेरना rezbariti u reljefu relief relief upphleypt mynd rilievo 浮き彫り 2 (조각, 건축 등의) 양각 reljefas reljefs corak seni pahat reli{#225}{#137}{#225}f relieffarbeid płaskorzeźba, relief relevo relief рельеф reliéf relief reljef relief ภาพลายนูน kabartma, rölyef 浮雕 рельєф کندہ کاری sự chạm khắc
v reˈlieve [-v]
1 to lessen or stop (pain, worry etc) The doctor gave him some drugs to relieve the pain; to relieve the hardship of the refugees. verlig يُريح، يُخَفِّف намалявам ulevit lindre; fjerne erleichtern ανακουφίζω, καταπραΰνω aliviar leevendama تسکین دادن؛ کاستن helpottaa soulager לְהָקֵל पीड़ा कम करना olakšati, ublažiti enyhít meredakan lina, létta, draga úr alleviare 和らげる 완화하다 palengvinti, sumažinti atvieglot melegakan verlichten lindre, mildne, lette ulżyć aliviar a alina облегчать uľaviť ublažiti ublažiti lindra ผ่อนคลาย sıkıntısını hafifletmek, azaltmak 減輕,消除(痛苦、擔憂) полегшувати; зменшувати راحت پانا làm giảm; làm dịu
2 to take over a job or task from You guard the door first, and I'll relieve you in two hours. aflos يَحِلُّ مَحَل отменям vystřídat afløse ablösen αντικαθιστώ relevar, sustituir välja vahetama نوبت عوض کردن vapauttaa relayer לְהָדִיחַ सेवा से मुक्त करना zamijeniti felvált menggantikan leysa af sostituire 交替する 교대하다 pakeisti nomainīt (darbā) mengambil alih aflossen avløse zmienić, zluzować substituir a schimba сменять vystriedať zamenjati zameniti avlösa เข้ามารับหน้าที่แทน nöbeti/görevi devralmak 換班 змінювати امداد کرنا thay phiên
3 to dismiss (a person) from his job or position He was relieved of his post/duties. afdank يُحَرِّر، يُعْفي من وَظيفَه уволнявам propustit frigøre entlassen απαλλάσσω κπ. από τα καθήκοντά του despedir vallandama مرخص کردن vapauttaa relever (de) לְשַחרֵר बर्खास्त करना smijeniti felment membebastugaskan leysa frá störfum sollevare, rimuovere 解職する 해임하다 atleisti atbrīvot no darba, atlaist melepaskan ontheffen bli fritatt for tjeneste zwolnić exonerar a elibera (din) освободить prepustiť odstaviti smeniti entlediga ปลดออกจากตำแหน่ง atmak 免職 звільняти برخاست کرنا sa thải
4 to take (something heavy, difficult etc) from someone May I relieve you of that heavy case?; The new gardener relieved the old man of the burden of cutting the grass. help dra يأخُذ عَن освобождавам zbavit skille af med; aflaste entlasten ξαλαφρώνω κπ., απαλλάσσω quitar, librar de (un peso, una carga, etc) (koormast) vabastama کمک کردن ottaa pois débarrasser de לְהַקֵל कार्य मुक्त करना rasteretiti levesz vkiről (terhet) membebaskan losa við/undan alleggerire 代る (어려움 등을) 덜어주다 išvaduoti, atpalaiduoti atslogot; palīdzēt/aizstāt ambil overnemen avhjelpe, unnsette, avlaste uwolnić ajudar a degreva (de), a des­povăra (de) освобождать zbaviť razbremeniti osloboditi befria ลดภาระ kurtarmak 幫人提(重物),替人減輕(負擔) подавати допомогу, виручати دستگیری کرنا làm nhẹ bớt (gánh nặng) ......
5 to come to the help of (a town etc which is under siege or attack). te hulp snel يُغيث، يُنْجِد вдигам обсадата на přinést pomoc befri befreien βοηθώ, ενισχύω socorrer, auxiliar päästma به کمک شتافتن vapauttaa secourir לְסַיֵיע सहायता करना priskočiti u pomoć megszabadít menolong aðstoða, liðsinna liberare, soccorrere 救護する 구원하다 išvaduoti iš apsiausties pārraut aplenkumu menolong ontzetten komme til unnsetning przyjść z odsieczą, odbić socorrer a veni în ajutorul оказывать помощь prísť na pomoc, poskytnúť pomoc odrešiti priteći u pomoć befria, undsätta ถูกโอบล้อมโจมตี ยึด yardımına gelmek 幫(圍城)脫困或解圍 зняти облогу چارہ سازی کرنا giải cứu
adj reˈlieved
no longer anxious or worried I was relieved to hear you had arrived safely. verlig مُسْتَريح، مُرْتاح облекчен uklidněný lette erleichtert ανακουφισμένος aliviado kergendust tundev آسوده؛ آرام huojentunut soulagé לְהָסִיר מָצוֹר चिन्तामुक्त odlanuti, osjetiti olakšanje megkönnyebbült lega feginn sollevato ほっとした 안도한 jaučiantis palengvėjimą just atvieglojumu; pārstāt raizēties berasa lega opgelucht lettet uspokojony aliviado uşurat успокоенный upokojený pomirjen koji oseća olakšanje lättad ซึ่งปลดเปลื้อง ferahlamış, rahatlamış 鬆了一口氣 заспокоєний تکلیف سے نجات حاصل کرنے والا nhẹ người

relief راحة úleva lettelse Erleichterung ανακούφιση alivio helpotus soulagement olakšanje sollievo 安心 안도 aflossing lettelse ulga alívio облегчение lättnad การผ่อนคลาย iç rahatlığı sự khuây khỏa 减轻


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They harassed me so that sometimes, at odd moments, I shut myself up audibly to rehearse--it was at once a fantastic relief and a renewed despair--the manner in which I might come to the point.
As he sat there, motionless, this feeling of relief became a feeling of profound happiness.
Crooks, with five others, turned their steps up it; retracing by land the weary course they had made by water, intending, should they not find relief nearer at hand, to keep on until they should reach Henry's Fort, where they hoped to find the horses they had left there, and to return with them to the main body.
 
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