Etymology: Middle English relef, relief, from Anglo-French from relever to relieve
Date: 14th century
1: a payment made by a male feudal tenant to his lord on succeeding to an inherited estate 2 a: removal or lightening of something oppressive, painful, or distressing b:welfare 2a c: military assistance to an endangered post or force d: means of breaking or avoiding monotony or boredom :diversion 3: release from a post or from the performance of duty 4: one that takes the place of another on duty 5: legal remedy or redress 6[French, from Middle French, from Italian rilievo relievo]a: a mode of sculpture in which forms and figures are distinguished from a surrounding plane surface b: sculpture or a sculptural form executed in this mode c: projecting detail, ornament, or figures 7 a: sharpness of outline due to contrast <a roof in bold relief against the sky>b: the state of being distinguished by contrast <throws the two opinions into bold relief> 8: the elevations or inequalities of a land surface 9: the pitching done by a relief pitcher <two innings of hitless relief>
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