relax
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”).
A man relaxing and reading a book.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɹɪˈlæks/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -æks
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 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:
- 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."
- 1713, Jonathan Swift, A Preface to Bishop Burnet's Introduction
- (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
- stress, excite
Derived terms
- relaxable
- overrelax, underrelax
Related terms
- relaxation
Translations
to calm down
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to make something loose
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to become loose
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to make something less severe or tense
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to become less severe or tense
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to make something (such as codes and regulations) more lenient
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to become more lenient
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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
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Anagrams
- laxer, raxle
Italian
Etymology
Pseudo-anglicism, a clipping of relaxation.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /reˈlaks/[1]
- Rhymes: -aks
- Hyphenation: re‧làx
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
- IPA(key): /reˈlaɡs/ [reˈlaɣ̞s]
- Rhymes: -aɡs
- Syllabification: re‧lax
Noun
relax m (uncountable)
- relaxation
Derived terms
- estar de relax
Further reading
- “relax”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014