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unrelieved

 - 6 dictionary results

re⋅lieve

[ri-leev] verb, -lieved, -liev⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to ease or alleviate (pain, distress, anxiety, need, etc.).
2. to free from anxiety, fear, pain, etc.
3. to free from need, poverty, etc.
4. to bring effective aid to (a besieged town, military position, etc.).
5. to ease (a person) of any burden, wrong, or oppression, as by legal means.
6. to reduce (a pressure, load, weight, etc., on a device or object under stress): to relieve the steam pressure; to relieve the stress on the supporting walls.
7. to make less tedious, unpleasant, or monotonous; break or vary the sameness of: curtains to relieve the drabness of the room.
8. to bring into relief or prominence; heighten the effect of.
9. to release (one on duty) by coming as or providing a substitute or replacement.
10. Machinery.
a. to free (a closed space, as a tank, boiler, etc.) of more than a desirable pressure or vacuum.
b. to reduce (the pressure or vacuum in such a space) to a desirable level.
11. Baseball. to replace (a pitcher).
–verb (used without object)
12. Baseball. to act as a relief pitcher: He relieved in 52 games for the Pirates last season.
13. to relieve oneself, to urinate or defecate.

Origin:
1300–50; ME releven < MF relever to raise < L relevāre to reduce the load of, lighten, equiv. to re- re- + levāre to raise, deriv. of levis light in weight


re⋅liev⋅a⋅ble, adjective
re⋅liev⋅ed⋅ly [ri-lee-vid-lee] , adverb


1. mitigate, assuage, allay, lighten, lessen, abate, diminish. See comfort. 1-4. aid, help, assist. 3. support, sustain. 4. succor.


1. intensify.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To unrelieved
un·re·lieved   (ŭn'rĭ-lēvd')   
adj.  Utter; complete: unrelieved boredom.
un're·liev'ed·ly (-lē'vĭd-lē) adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

relieve 
c.1300, from O.Fr. relever "to raise, relieve" (11c.), from L. relevare "to raise, alleviate," from re-, intensive prefix, + levare "to lift up, lighten," from levis "not heavy" (see lever). The notion is "to raise (someone) out of trouble." Reliever in the baseball pitcher sense is recorded from 1967.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: re·lieve
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: re·lieved; re·liev·ing
: to set free from a duty, burden, or liability relieved of his negligence> relieve the trustees of those very basic duties that the law imposes —Hosey v. Burgess, 890 South Western Reporter, Second Series 262 (1995)>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: re·lieve
Pronunciation: ri-'lEv
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: re·lieved; re·liev·ing
1 : to bring about the removal or alleviation of (pain or discomfort)
2 : to discharge the bladder or bowels of (oneself) —re·liev·er noun
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

relieve re·lieve (rĭ-lēv')
v. re·lieved, re·liev·ing, re·lieves

  1. To cause a lessening or alleviation of something, such as pain, tension, or a symptom.

  2. To free an individual from pain, anxiety, or distress.


re·liev'a·ble adj.
re·liev'er n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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