relax
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A man relaxing and reading a book.
English
Etymology
From Middle English relaxen, from Old French relaxer, from Latin relaxāre (“relax, loosen, open”), from re- (“back”) + laxāre (“loosen”), from laxus (“loose, free”).
Pronunciation
Verb
relax (third-person singular simple present relaxes, present participle relaxing, simple past and past participle relaxed)
- (transitive) To calm down.
- (transitive) To make something loose.
- to relax a rope or cord
- to relax the muscles or sinews
- 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. , London: [Samuel Simmons], , →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: , London: Basil Montagu Pickering , 1873, →OCLC:
- Horror […] all his joynts relax'd.
- (intransitive) To become loose.
- 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
- I relax in the living room.
Audio (US) (file)
- I relax in the living room.
- 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
- (transitive) To make something less severe or tense.
- to relax discipline
- to relax one's attention or endeavours
- (intransitive) To become less severe or tense.
- (transitive) To make something (such as codes and regulations) more lenient.
- 1713, Jonathan Swift, A Preface to Bishop Burnet's Introduction:
- The statute of mortmain […] was at several times relaxed by the legislature.
- 1953, “Section 2. Jurisdiction”, in Edward Samuel Corwin, editor, The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation, page 589:
- The Court rejected the contention that the doctrine of sovereign immunity should be relaxed as inapplicable to suits for specific relief as distinguished from damage suits, saying: "The Government, as representative of the community as a whole, cannot be stopped in its tracks by any plaintiff who presents a disputed question of property or contract right."
- (intransitive, of codes and regulations) To become more lenient.
- (transitive) To relieve (something) from stress.
- Amusement relaxes the mind.
- (transitive, dated) To relieve from constipation; to loosen; to open.
- An aperient relaxes the bowels.
Antonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
to calm down
|
to make something loose
|
to become loose
|
to make something less severe or tense
|
to become less severe or tense
|
to make something (such as codes and regulations) more lenient
|
to become more lenient
|
to relieve (something) from stress
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
Anagrams
French
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Adjective
relax (feminine relaxe, masculine plural relax, feminine plural relaxes)
Further reading
- “relax”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.
- “relax” in Dictionnaire français en ligne Larousse.
Italian
Etymology
Pseudo-anglicism, a clipping of relaxation.
Pronunciation
Noun
relax m (invariable)
- relaxation (mental or physical)
References
- ^ relax in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)
Spanish
Etymology
Pseudo-anglicism, shortening of English relaxation or erroneous borrowing of English relax.
Pronunciation
Noun
relax m (uncountable)
Derived terms
Further reading
- “relax”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014