1297, "to withdraw, revoke," also "to liberate" (c.1300), from O.Fr.
relaisser "to relinquish, quit, let go, leave behind," variant of
relacher "release, relax," from L.
relaxare (see
relax). Meaning "relinquish, surrender" is recorded from 1390. Of press reports, attested from 1904; of motion pictures, from 1912; of music recordings, from 1962. As a euphemism for "to dismiss, fire from a job" it is attested in Amer.Eng. since 1904. The noun is attested from c.1315, from O.Fr.
reles (12c.), a back-formation from
relesser, relaisser.