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Webster 1913 Edition

Relieve

Re-lieve′

(r?-l?v′)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Relieved
(-l?vd′)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Relieving
.]
[OE.
releven
, F.
relever
to raise again, discharge, relieve, fr. L.
relevare
to lift up, raise, make light, relieve; pref.
re-
re- +
levare
to raise, fr.
levis
light. See
Levity
, and cf.
Relevant
,
Relief
.]
1.
To lift up; to raise again, as one who has fallen; to cause to rise.
[Obs.]
Piers Plowman.
2.
To cause to seem to rise; to put in relief; to give prominence or conspicuousness to; to set off by contrast.
Her tall figure
relieved
against the blue sky; seemed almost of supernatural height.
Sir W. Scott.
3.
To raise up something in; to introduce a contrast or variety into; to remove the monotony or sameness of.
The poet must . . . sometimes
relieve
the subject with a moral reflection.
Addison.
4.
To raise or remove, as anything which depresses, weighs down, or crushes; to render less burdensome or afflicting; to alleviate; to abate; to mitigate; to lessen;
as, to
relieve
pain; to
relieve
the wants of the poor.
5.
To free, wholly or partly, from any burden, trial, evil, distress, or the like; to give ease, comfort, or consolation to; to give aid, help, or succor to; to support, strengthen, or deliver;
as, to
relieve
a besieged town
.
Now lend assistance and
relieve
the poor.
Dryden.
6.
To release from a post, station, or duty; to put another in place of, or to take the place of, in the bearing of any burden, or discharge of any duty.
Who hath
relieved
you?
Shakespeare
7.
To ease of any imposition, burden, wrong, or oppression, by judicial or legislative interposition, as by the removal of a grievance, by indemnification for losses, or the like; to right.
Syn. – To alleviate; assuage; succor; assist; aid; help; support; substain; ease; mitigate; lighten; diminish; remove; free; remedy; redress; indemnify.

Webster 1828 Edition

Relieve

RELIE'VE

,
Verb.
T.
[L. relevo. See Relief.]
1.
To free, wholly or partially, from pain, grief, want, anxiety, care, toil, trouble, burden, oppression or any thing that is considered to be an evil; to ease of any thing that pains the body or distresses the mind. Repose relieves the wearied body; a supply of provisions relieves a family in want; medicines may relieve the sick man, even when they do not cure him. We all desire to be relieved from anxiety and from heavy taxes. Law or duty, or both, require that we should relieve the poor and destitute.
2.
To alleviate or remove; as when we say, to relieve pain or distress; to relieve the wants of the poor.
3.
To dismiss from a post or station, as sentinels, a guard or ships, and station others in their place. Sentinels are generally relieved every two hours; a guard is usually relieved once in twenty four hours.
4.
To right; to ease of any burden, wrong or oppression by judicial or legislative interposition, by the removal of a grievance, by indemnification for losses and the like.
5.
To abate the inconvenience of any thing by change, or by the interposition of something dissimilar. The moon relieves the luster of the sun with a milder light.
The poet must not encumber his poem with, too much business, but sometimes relieve the subject with a moral reflection.
6.
To assist; to support.
Parallels or like relations alternately relieve each other; when neither will pass asunder, yet are they plausible together.

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