relax
Etymology
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002
Etymology
From Middle English relaxen, from Old French relaxer, from Latin relaxāre, from re- + laxāre, from laxus.
Pronunciation- IPA: /ɹɪˈlæks/
relax (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], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →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, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170930001420/https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-lesson-5-where-are-you/3168971.html VOA Learning English] (public domain)
- I relax in the living room.
- I relax in the living room.
- 2016, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170930001420/https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-lesson-5-where-are-you/3168971.html 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.
- (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.
- French: détendre, se relaxer
- German: relaxen, runterkommen, beruhigen
- Italian: rilassarsi, riposarsi
- Portuguese: relaxar
- Spanish: relajar, reposar
- French: relâcher
- German: lockern, entspannen
- Portuguese: soltar, afrouxar
- Russian: расслабля́ть
- Spanish: relajar, aflojar
- German: locker werden
- Portuguese: soltar, afrouxar
- Russian: расслабля́ться
- Spanish: relajar
- German: entspannen, lockern
- Portuguese: relaxar
- Russian: ослабля́ть
- Spanish: relajar
- French: se détendre
- German: entspannen, locker werden
- Portuguese: relaxar
- Russian: распуска́ться
- Spanish: relajar
- German: entspannen, lockern
- Russian: смягча́ть
- Spanish: relajar
- German: entspannen, locker werden
- Russian: смягча́ться
- Spanish: relajar
- German: entspannen
- Italian: rilassare
- Portuguese: relaxar
- Russian: расслабля́ть
- Spanish: relajarse, estar de relax
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002
