# relax
## English
### Etymology

From Middle English relaxen, from Old French relaxer, from Latin relaxāre (“relax, loosen, open”), from re- (“back”) + laxāre (“loosen”), from laxus (“loose, free”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɹɪˈlæks/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -æks

### Verb

relax (third-person singular simple present relaxes, present participle relaxing, simple past and past participle relaxed)
* (transitive) To calm down.
* (transitive) To make something loose.
    to relax a rope or cord
    to relax the muscles or sinews
** 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:Horror […] all his joynts relax'd.
* (intransitive) To become loose.
** 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
    I relax in the living room.
       Audio (US):(file)
* (transitive) To make something less severe or tense.
    to relax discipline
    to relax one's attention or endeavours
* (intransitive) To become less severe or tense.
* (transitive) To make something (such as codes and regulations) more lenient.
** 1713, Jonathan Swift, A Preface to Bishop Burnet's Introduction:The statute of mortmain […] was at several times relaxed by the legislature.
** 1953, “Section 2. Jurisdiction”, in Edward Samuel Corwin, editor, The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation‎, page 589:The Court rejected the contention that the doctrine of sovereign immunity should be relaxed as inapplicable to suits for specific relief as distinguished from damage suits, saying: "The Government, as representative of the community as a whole, cannot be stopped in its tracks by any plaintiff who presents a disputed question of property or contract right."
* (intransitive, of codes and regulations) To become more lenient.
* (transitive) To relieve (something) from stress.
    Amusement relaxes the mind.
* (transitive, dated) To relieve from constipation; to loosen; to open.
    An aperient relaxes the bowels.

#### Antonyms

* stress, excite

#### Derived terms

* relaxable
* overrelax, underrelax

#### Related terms

* relaxation

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Anagrams

* laxer, raxle

## French
### Alternative forms

* relaxe

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ʁə.laks/
* Homophone: relaxe

### Adjective

relax (feminine relaxe, masculine plural relax, feminine plural relaxes)
* relaxed
    Synonyms: calme, décontracté, détendu, serein, zen

### Further reading

* “relax”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
* “relax” in Dictionnaire français en ligne Larousse.

## Italian
### Etymology

Pseudo-anglicism, a clipping of relaxation.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /reˈlaks/
* Rhymes: -aks
* Hyphenation: re‧làx

### Noun

relax m (invariable)
* relaxation (mental or physical)

### References

* ↑ relax in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

## Spanish
### Etymology

Pseudo-anglicism, shortening of English relaxation or erroneous borrowing of English relax.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /reˈlaɡs/ [reˈlaɣ̞s]
* Rhymes: -aɡs
* Syllabification: re‧lax

### Noun

relax m (uncountable)
* relaxation

#### Derived terms

* estar de relax

### Further reading

* “relax”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10