From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
relax
v 1: become less tense, rest, or take one's ease; "He relaxed in
the hot tub"; "Let's all relax after a hard day's work"
[syn: loosen up, unbend, unwind, decompress,
slow down] [ant: tense]
2: make less tight; "relax the tension on the rope" [syn:
unbend]
3: become loose or looser or less tight; "The noose loosened";
"the rope relaxed" [syn: loosen, loose] [ant:
stiffen]
4: cause to feel relaxed; "A hot bath always relaxes me" [syn:
unstrain, unlax, loosen up, unwind, {make
relaxed}] [ant: tense]
5: become less tense, less formal, or less restrained, and
assume a friendlier manner; "our new colleague relaxed
when he saw that we were a friendly group" [syn: {loosen
up}]
6: make less severe or strict; "The government relaxed the
curfew after most of the rebels were caught" [syn:
loosen]
7: become less severe or strict; "The rules relaxed after the
new director arrived" [syn: loosen]
8: make less active or fast; "He slackened his pace as he got
tired"; "Don't relax your efforts now" [syn: slack,
slacken, slack up]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Relax \Re*lax"\, n.
Relaxation. [Obs.] --Feltham.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Relax \Re**lax"\, a.
Relaxed; lax; hence, remiss; careless.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Relax \Re*lax"\ (r?-l?ks"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Relaxed
(-l?kst"); p. pr. & vb. n. Relaxing.] [L. relaxare; pref.
re- re- + laxare to loose, to slacken, from laxus loose. See
Lax, and cf. Relay, n., Release.]
1. To make lax or loose; to make less close, firm, rigid,
tense, or the like; to slacken; to loosen; to open; as, to
relax a rope or cord; to relax the muscles or sinews.
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Horror . . . all his joints relaxed. --Milton.
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Nor served it to relax their serried files.
--Milton.
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2. To make less severe or rigorous; to abate the stringency
of; to remit in respect to strenuousness, earnestness, or
effort; as, to relax discipline; to relax one's attention
or endeavors.
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The statute of mortmain was at several times relaxed
by the legislature. --Swift.
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3. Hence, to relieve from attention or effort; to ease; to
recreate; to divert; as, amusement relaxes the mind.
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4. To relieve from constipation; to loosen; to open; as, an
aperient relaxes the bowels.
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Syn: To slacken; loosen; loose; remit; abate; mitigate; ease;
unbend; divert.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Relax \Re*lax"\, v. i.
1. To become lax, weak, or loose; as, to let one's grasp
relax.
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His knees relax with toil. --Pope.
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2. To abate in severity; to become less rigorous.
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In others she relaxed again,
And governed with a looser rein. --Prior.
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3. To remit attention or effort; to become less diligent; to
unbend; as, to relax in study.
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