relief

English Online Dictionary. What means relief‎? What does relief mean?

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈliːf/
• Rhymes: -iːf

Etymology 1

From Old French relief (“assistance”), from Old French relever (“to relieve”), from Latin relevare (“to raise up, make light”). See also relieve.

Noun

relief (countable and uncountable, plural reliefs)

1. The removal of stress or discomfort.
2. The feeling associated with the removal of stress or discomfort.
3. Release from a post or duty, as when replaced by another.
4. The person who takes over a shift for another.
5. Aid or assistance offered in time of need.
6. (law) Court-ordered compensation, aid, or protection, a redress.
7. A lowering of a tax through special provisions; tax relief.
8. A certain fine or composition paid by the heir of a tenant upon the death of the ancestor.

Synonyms

• (removal of stress and discomfort): ease, alleviation, liss, respite
• (feeling of removal of stress and discomfort): ease, alleviation, liss
• (person who takes over a shift): stand-in, substitute, backup, fill-in

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Italian rilievo, from rilevare (“to raise”), from Latin relevō (“to raise”).

Noun

relief (countable and uncountable, plural reliefs)

1. (uncountable) A method of sculpture or other artwork in which shapes or figures protrude from a flat background.
2. (countable) A sculpture or other artwork made with such a method.
3. The apparent difference in elevation in the surface of a painting or drawing made noticeable by a variation in light or color.
4. The difference of elevations on a surface.
5. Relative distinctness, perceived difference due to contrast.
6. (heraldry) The supposed projection of a charge from the surface of a field, indicated by shading on the sinister and lower sides.

Synonyms

• (type of artwork): embossing
• (difference of elevations on a surface): texture, topography

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

relief (comparative more relief, superlative most relief)

1. (of a surface) Characterized by surface inequalities.
2. Of or used in letterpress.

Anagrams

• Leifer, e-filer, liefer, refile, relfie, relife

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from French relief

Noun

relief n (singular definite relieffet, plural indefinite relieffer)

1. relief (work of art)

Inflection

References

• “relief” in Den Danske Ordbog

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French, from relever.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁə.ljɛf/

Noun

relief m (plural reliefs)

1. projection, relief
2. (geography, mineralogy) relief, surface elevation
3. (figuratively) contrast, definition, offset (against something else)

   mettre en relief ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

4. (sculpture) relief

Derived terms

• bas-relief
• haut-relief

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: реле́ф (reléf)
• → Danish: relief
• → Polish: relief
• → Romanian: relief
• → Russian: рельеф (relʹjef)
• → Swedish: relief
• → Turkish: rölyef

Further reading

• “relief”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from French relief, from Old French relief, from relever, from Latin relevare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈrɛl.jɛf/
• Rhymes: -ɛljɛf
• Syllabification: rel‧ief

Noun

relief m inan

1. (sculpture) relief

Declension

Further reading

• relief in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• relief in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French relief.

Noun

relief n (plural reliefuri)

1. relief (difference of elevations on the Earth's surface)

Related terms

• reliefa
• reliefare
• reliefat

Swedish

Noun

relief c

1. a relief (type of artwork)

Declension

Derived terms

• reliefkarta (“relief map”)

References

• relief in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• relief in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• relief in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)