1 a the alleviation of or deliverance from pain, distress, anxiety, etc. b the feeling accompanying such deliverance.
2 a feature etc. that diversifies monotony or relaxes tension.
3 assistance (esp. financial) given to those in special need or difficulty (rent relief).
4 a the replacing of a person or persons on duty by another or others. b a person or persons replacing others in this way.
5 (usu. attrib.) a thing supplementing another in some service, esp. an extra vehicle providing public transport at peak times.
6 a a method of moulding or carving or stamping in which the design stands out from the surface, with projections proportioned and more (high relief) or less (low relief) closely approximating to those of the objects depicted (cf. ROUND n. 9). b a piece of sculpture etc. in relief. c a representation of relief given by an arrangement of line or colour or shading.
7 vividness, distinctness (brings the facts out in sharp relief).
8 (foll. by of) the reinforcement (esp. the raising of a siege) of a place.
9 esp. Law the redress of a hardship or grievance.
Phrases and idioms:
relief map
1 a map indicating hills and valleys by shading etc. rather than by contour lines alone.
2 a map-model showing elevations and depressions, usu. on an exaggerated relative scale. relief printing = LETTERPRESS 2. relief road a road taking traffic around a congested (esp. urban) area.
Etymology: ME f AF relef, OF relief (in sense 6 F relief f. It. rilievo) f. relever: see RELIEVE
Useful english dictionary. 2012.