relieve

What it means

1. transitiveTo ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of.First known use 14th c.

   I was greatly relieved by the jury's verdict.

   1 more example

   Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.

   1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC

2. transitiveTo ease (someone, a part of the body etc.) or give relief from physical pain or discomfort.First known use 14th c.

   Synonyms: liss

3. transitiveTo alleviate (pain, distress, mental discomfort etc.).First known use 14th c.

In a sentence

I was greatly relieved by the jury's verdict.

Where it comes from

1. Latinrelevo“to lift up, lighten, relieve, alleviate”
2. Old Frenchrelever
3. Middle Englishreleven
4. Englishrelieve

From Late Middle English releven, from Old French relever, specifically from the conjugated forms such as (jeo) relieve (“I lift up”), and its source, Latin relevo (“to lift up, lighten, relieve, alleviate”), combined form of re- (“back”) + levo (“to lift”). Doublet of relevate. Compare levant, levity, etc.

First known use: 14th c.