Result from Foreign Dictionaries (5 entries found)

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. [1913 Webster] His knees relax with toil. --Pope. [1913 Webster] 2. To abate in severity; to become less rigorous. [1913 Webster] In others she relaxed again, And governed with a looser rein. --Prior. [1913 Webster] 3. To remit attention or effort; to become less diligent; to unbend; as, to relax in study. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster] Horror . . . all his joints relaxed. --Milton. [1913 Webster] Nor served it to relax their serried files. --Milton. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster] The statute of mortmain was at several times relaxed by the legislature. --Swift. [1913 Webster] 3. Hence, to relieve from attention or effort; to ease; to recreate; to divert; as, amusement relaxes the mind. [1913 Webster] 4. To relieve from constipation; to loosen; to open; as, an aperient relaxes the bowels. [1913 Webster] Syn: To slacken; loosen; loose; remit; abate; mitigate; ease; unbend; divert. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Relax \Re*lax"\, n. Relaxation. [Obs.] --Feltham. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Relax \Re**lax"\, a. Relaxed; lax; hence, remiss; careless. [1913 Webster] From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [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: {relax}, {loosen up}, {unbend}, {unwind}, {decompress}, {slow down}] [ant: {tense}, {tense up}] 2: make less taut; "relax the tension on the rope" [syn: {relax}, {unbend}] 3: become loose or looser or less tight; "The noose loosened"; "the rope relaxed" [syn: {loosen}, {relax}, {loose}] [ant: {stiffen}] 4: cause to feel relaxed; "A hot bath always relaxes me" [syn: {relax}, {unstrain}, {unlax}, {loosen up}, {unwind}, {make relaxed}] [ant: {strain}, {tense}, {tense up}] 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: {relax}, {loosen up}] 6: make less severe or strict; "The government relaxed the curfew after most of the rebels were caught" [syn: {relax}, {loosen}] 7: become less severe or strict; "The rules relaxed after the new director arrived" [syn: {relax}, {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}, {relax}]