relieve

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ɹɪˈliːv/ See IPA manual

Freq #7996

Meanings

1

verb
To make pain, worry, or a problem less severe.

This pill will relieve your headache.
2

verb
To free someone from a duty, task, or responsibility.

A new guard came to relieve him at midnight.
3

verb
To bring help to a town or army that is surrounded by an enemy.

Troops were sent to relieve the besieged city.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make pain, worry, or a... alleviate ease assuage lighten

More allay

Word family

Forms relievesrelievingunrelieved

Derived forms pain-relievingrelievablerelievement

Related forms relevance relevancy relevant reliefrelievedlyreliever

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

Simplified etymology

Relieve dates from the Middle English period and belongs to the word family based on Latin levis, meaning “light.”

Etymology

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.

releven Middle English relever Old French relevo Latin

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Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# relieve

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ɹɪˈliːv/
**Frequency rank:** 7996

## Meanings
1. To make pain, worry, or a problem less severe.
2. To free someone from a duty, task, or responsibility.
3. To bring help to a town or army that is surrounded by an enemy.

## Examples
- This pill will relieve your headache.
- A new guard came to relieve him at midnight.
- Troops were sent to relieve the besieged city.

## Synonyms
- allay
- assuage

## Derived Forms
- pain-relieving
- relievable
- relievement

## Related Forms
- relevance
- relevancy
- relevant
- relief
- relievedly
- reliever

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: releven
- Root: relever
- Root: relevo

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Relieve comes 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. Modern senses include to make pain, worry, or a problem less severe. and to free someone from a duty, task, or responsibility.. The wider word family includes derivatives such as pain-relieving, relievable, and relievement and related forms such as relevance, relevancy, relevant, and relief.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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